


Aftershocks

by Team_Alpha_Wolf_Squadron



Series: He loves me... [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Dark, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-21
Packaged: 2019-03-13 04:29:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 44,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13562829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Team_Alpha_Wolf_Squadron/pseuds/Team_Alpha_Wolf_Squadron
Summary: In the aftermath of the Incubus' destruction, Jason tries to move on.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, again, written from my tablet so excuse the grammar and spellings. Also any words that stick together because the device I write in is a pain about spaces. Also, like, this is getting pretty dark, and will probably be a dark fic simply because of the matter it concerns and well, plot stuff. You don't have to read it if you don't like it, just fair warning to you.

The door banging wrenched him from sleep. "Don't touch me," Jason hissed, the last of his dream fading, leaving him back in his apartment. Not that this image was any better. The only real changes from now and the dream was the sun. 

He looked to his left, the digital clock turning seven just as the banging on his door came again. Jason narrowed his eyes, or as much as he could with the shock still coursing through his system. No one good called around at seven in the morning. No one called around at all at seven in the morning. Actually, no one even called around. 

Jason knew Bruce was still too squeamish to come after him. Jason had been laying low, just small patrols to get back into the swing of things. Nothing too outlandish or dangerous that would warrant an intervention. Not that Jason didn't know Bruce was craving it. He'd seen it in every tense muscle under that batsuit the first time they had met again. He saw the way Bruce was itching to come after him, to have an excuse to talk to him, at first, without the weight of what went down hanging over their heads. It was how their relationship was these days. Even before the... 

Jason didn't even think it. He'd programmed himself not to. Not here, in his apartment anyway. It felt too close to home. It was too close to home since he still hadn't brought himself to move. 

The banging came again, reminding Jason that there was someone waiting for him. It wasn't his landlord, Jason was pretty sure even if he was missing three months rent and had four dogs in his apartment the guy wouldn't come knocking. There was an aura around Jason that just warded people off. That always warded people off.

He grabbed his gun, swinging his legs around until he could reach the quiet boards of his floor. The knocking came two more times in his journey to the door. Jason's brain was dissecting everything he could from it, the ease, the pressure. It didn't sound like they were here to kill him. But, then again, when did a killer ever announce his presence. If it were Jason on the other side of the door, which it had been on occasion, he knew he never wanted to alert the person inside there was someone waiting to take their life.

Unfortunately, there was no peep hole, so Jason had to do things the old fashioned way.

"Who's there?"

He heard a sigh on the other side, male, adult, he couldn't tell age yet, not until they said, "It's Clark," and then Jason just threw everything he knew out the window.

He opened the door, finding that, huh, yep, that was Clark on the other side. Glasses, coat and everything. Jason stood there stupidly for a while, just the pure shock that Clark Kent was in front of him still trying to wrap itself around his brain. He didn't look like he was in any danger, nor did he look like he was here to drag Jason on some kind of League thing. He just looked like it was perfectly normal to go to his best friend's city and check in on said best friend's son who last time met each other one was trying to not so subtly collapse into an exhaustion fuelled sleep.

He let Clark in, fighting a blush the whole time as Clark dithered about probably looking for somewhere sanitary to put his coat. If he wanted sanitary, Jason thought heading for the coffee, he probably should have not come to Jason's.

"Can I get you anything?" Manners finally kicking in. "Water, beer, a reason for being here?"

Clark snorted, lounging in the small doorway. "I'm fine. I just came to get you."

"Get me?" Did he miss something? He was sure there was nothing on the comms. last night. In fact, he was sure if he even heard the word Superman or Clark these past few weeks he would have been paying attention. You didn't just ignore it when the man of steel was brought up.

Still, Clark looked like he had a purpose as he said, "For today? Damian said I needed to make sure you were up early and to bring you as soon as possible."

"Ah." That explained it. If Damian was behind this then it was no wonder Jason didn't know. He had a tendency, when it was personal not professional, to only let people in the know at the last possible moment. The only way to counteract this was if Dick got a hold of these plans beforehand. "So how did the brat rope you into being delivery boy?"

Clark grinned, not fazed at all. "I had to drop Jon off. I honestly thought you knew I was coming to get you."

"Well, I didn't." 

It was awkward getting ready around Clark. Every time Jason passed him to grab a shower or breakfast he found the man at another part of the apartment. It made him feel weird. He knew Clark wasn't well off, but Jason had been to Clark's apartment, both invited and breaking in, and knew it was at least five steps up from this dump Jason stayed in. It wasn't that Jason didn't have the money to move either. He did, it was just, he knew from experience that it was good for his mental state to say here for a while. At least another month until he stopped jumping at shadows. Yet, even knowing himself that this place was crap didn't stop Jason from watching carefully as Clark fingered his stuff. 

All in all it took about an hour for Jason to be ready to hit the town. Mostly because he knew the stalling would drive Damian mad. When they finally left Jason's place he felt like he was in a bad porno as Clark led him down a dark alley and told him to hold on.

They were flying out of Gotham. As soon as Jason saw the bridge go by beneath him he couldn't help tightening his hold. He didn't like going away from Gotham. Especially when he was unprepared. 

Jason was starting to fear that maybe Damian wasn't behind this visit. That Clark really had come to get him for some kind of business. It had been a good plan if it was. He was here after all. Yet, Clark didn't take him to some remote secure prison. Instead, the cities started evening out into fields, and eventually Jason finally recognised where they were heading. 

He'd only been to Smallville the once. It had been a covert operation. One of utmost importance. Bruce had needed a holiday and refused to go outside of America. Alfred had made it clear that Bruce wasn't allowed any computers or access to danger, and since Clark had been making an effort to sniff around more now that there was a new Robin in town he'd offered to house them in Smallville for the week. 

Jason didn't remember much about that week. Like most of his memories it was faint in his mind, but Jason got a sense of happiness when he tried to dig up more. He must have had a good time. 

They landed in front of the Kent's house, Jon running out with Damian dawdling behind to greet his father. Jason didn't see the rest of the bat pack so he assumed Damian was the only one here. He didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing as the kid finally caught up to them.

"Todd," he greeted.

"Damian." He let the kid size him up like he usually did when they met, both of them looking to see what weapons the other was packing. Jason broke first, not wanting to spend the whole day doing this. He shoved his hands in his pockets, rocking on his heels and making sure there was no one else just waiting behind those lace curtains to jump him. "So, what am I here for?"

Damian didn't answer, he tutted and glared his way over to Clark. Jason followed, surprised the two supers had managed to get so far away from them without him noticing. "When can we see them?" Damian asked, and Jason might have been hearing things but he was almost certain there was a level of excitement in his tone. 

"In a bit. I told Mr Brown we would be over at noon. It's barely ten," Clark said.

"Mr Brown?" Jason asked.

Damian tutted again, "Yes Todd, keep up, he's the whole reason we are here."

Jason waited, he actually waited because sometimes Damian was kind and actually explained himself. Today was not one of those days. "So is he a bank robber gone underground or..."

Silence. Jason sighed, he supposed he would have to wait and find out then. 

The hours until noon Clark had them doing chores around the farm. Or, he had the kids do chores, recognising sometime between waking Jason up and bringing him here that Jason didn't have a clue what was going on. So, while the kids were figuring out how to feed the chickens efficiently Clark herded Jason inside to be smothered by Mrs Kent.

"What a woman," Jason said as they left the farm house. The trek to Mr Browns was only a fifteen minute walk, and one Jason was content to do now he'd been fed a proper meal and allowed to bask in the glorious glow that was Martha Kent for a while. 

"She's the best," Clark agreed. "It makes me feel easier now Kon's around. I used to feel so guilty leaving her and Pa for weeks. But, Kon's a good kid, and I know he loves them. I trust him to look after them."

"Right," Jason knew there was more being said here than a simple praise of Kon's good nature. After all, if Clark knew anything at all he would know Jason just had to go to the manor to listen to that spiel. Tim was more than enthusiastic in telling everyone when he came back from a Titan's mission just how great Superboy was.

"People need that. Someone to look after them. Even adults. I don't know what I would do without Lois."

Here we go. "Let me guess. Bruce told you to pose the question of counselling again on this little trip didn't he?"

"He's just worried," Clark said, not even denying Bruce's involvement. "Everyone is. And I know I have no right to preach to you, so I'm not. I'm just volunteering to listen Jason. If you need it. I know how good it is to talk to someone impartial."

Jason held back every snide comment he could. Clark was just trying to help. "Well I'm fine. I'm young, handsome, alive, what more could I ask for?"

"A lot more," Clark said. 

Jason walked ahead. He couldn't deal with this, even if Clark was just trying to be nice. 

The farm, when they got there, was similar in layout to the Kent's. There was a barn, a house, and fields surrounding them. Jason rather liked it, if only because he saw Damian practically bounce the closer they got to the front door.

"Hurry up," He snapped back at them.

"I'm like two steps behind," Jason said, striding in front just to prove his point. "Now, are you going to tell me what's so important or am I going to have to keep guessing."

Damian pursed his lips, his mouth opening just as the front door let Mr Brown out. Introductions took precedent, Clark falling back into an accent Jason was just in awe of as the five of them wandered over to the big barn. 

Jason didn't even bother asking the reason for their visit as they got inside. He could hear the small whimpers and excited yaps, just barely stopping himself from rolling his eyes as Damian raced ahead into the den of puppies.

There were seven of them in total, Mr Brown informing Jason that they were a Great Dane mix since Damian wasn't paying attention at all. They had just turned the right age to be given to homes, like, the right age today. It was no wonder Damian had been excited.

"Does Bruce know you're getting one of these?" Jason asked, knowing for a fact that Bat-cow had been a spur of the moment decision on Damian's part. 

"Of course," Damian said, holding one of the puppies up for inspection. "It was his idea."

"Oh," Jason said, "Good." There was nothing really to add onto that. If it was okay with Bruce then there was no reason for Jason to complain. 

Clark nudged him slightly from where he was standing, his head bobbing pointedly down to the puppies. "You can pet them too Jason."

If he were Damian, Jason would have saved face and said something about being above petting dogs. But, well, Damian himself was almost being swallowed by the litter jumping up on him, and Jason had never had a strong will to begin with. He hopped into the pen and grabbed the first puppy he could, a little coo escaping him as he stroked the fur baby soft on the boy's back.

Clark and Mr Brown wandered off at some point, leaving Jason to help the two kids decide which dog would be a good fit for Wayne manor.

"But girls are more protective," Damian argued. "They stay close to their pack and are much more wary of strangers." A must if it was to live in the Wayne house. Especially after the... incident. 

"Yeah, but you don't want her to be too protective. Besides, if you get a girl Krypto might start coming around. You know Kon can't keep him chained."

"True," Damian huffed, putting the girl he was holding down to inspect another one. 

Jason tuned it out, he was happy with the one in his lap. It hadn't left him even when he'd set the thing down and was content to flop around on its too big paws as Jason scratched its belly.

At least, Jason had been happy until his puppy was snatched. "Hey!" Jason protested as another dog plopped itself down where its brother had been. He couldn't be too upset, but he was still miffed as his puppy was held up for inspection. "You know you're supposed to ask before taking something. Especially if they're alive."

Damian looked like he had some comment to make before his expression dropped, an almost apologetic frown taking over his brow as he put the puppy back on Jason'd leg. "You are right. In future I will ask."

"Okay," Jason agreed a bit uneasy about how easy that had been. 

Damian didn't move off to the others, instead keeping close as he examined the puppy from his vantage point. Jason was tempted to hand it off, just so he could get rid of the attention, but the puppy really was fluffy. 

"He seems skinny," Damian observed.

"He's probably the runt."

"He's cute," Jon said, crawling his way over. He nudged his elbow into Damian, "You know, if you brought him home it wouldn't take long before he filled out. Being an only child has a tendency to do that."

"I suppose that explains why you are so skinny then. The clone must take your share if what you say is true."

Jon pouted while Jason held in a snigger. He couldn't believe this kid, Damian, had a friend like this. It was surreal, and just a little daunting wondering just how Jon had managed to first, put up with Damian, and second to earn the brats respect. Jason was still trying to accomplish both of those goals.

"Todd," Damian called, "What do you make of him?"

Jason shrugged, scratching the puppy's ear. "He's cute. I wouldn't mind taking him home." Which reminded him. "Not that my opinion means anything. Why exactly did you bring me here?" 

Other than the fact he could smell Bruce all over this, there was no way Damian would give in unless there was something in it for him. When they had went to watch Corionalus Jason was only there because he was the only one, save Alfred with enough respect for the Bard to not fall asleep. Right now, Jason could see no merit to his presence here. This job, picking a puppy, seemed much more like a job Dick would do,

"I need you to be my guardian. The alien said Mr Brown would not give me the puppy if I did not have someone of age present." Still sounded like a job for Dick, and Jason meant to say so when Damian twisted his mouth, "Also, you proved you liked dogs. Your input to an animal's temperament should be taken into account."

He supposed that made sense, in that weird Damian way of his. Jason did like dogs too. He could still recite the report he'd made to Bruce about why it would be conductive to his wellbeing and happiness to get a dog. Strange how that had remained crystal clear after all these years yet his thirteenth birthday was still a mystery.

Jason held the little guy in his lap up, looking at the way it responded to him. Puppies had a tendency to go one way or another, either they were attatched or welcome to a new pack. This one since he was the runt, seemed to be more towards the latter. Getting kicked out of feeding time would probably do that to a dog. 

"I think he would be a good fit," Jason said eventually.

Damian nodded, "Very well then I will take him."

Damian trotted off to get Clark, leaving Jon and Jason alone to play with the puppies. He wasn't gone long, returning almost immediately to order Jason up and Clark to return them to Gotham.

"What's the magic word Damian?" Clark goaded.

"Now." And, yeah, Clark had been asking for that.

The Kents took a boy each, Jason glad he got Clark when he saw Jon almost drop Damian over the Gotham bridge. He didn't blame the kid for glaring the rest of the way back, merely clutched the new puppy tighter in case Clark decided to experience a little turbulance.

Jason had the decency to thank Clark before he took off again after Damian raced inside. Most of it was to do with manners. The rest merely hoping that the next time the League talked about imprisoning him Clark would be abit more sympathetic to his cause.

Jason set the puppy down as soon as the main door shut, it flopped about uncertainly for a few moments before taking to sniffing his new surroundings. Jason followed the puppy's quest, purely because some part of him was imagining this would be what he would have done if Bruce really had gotten him a dog when he was thirteen. 

The puppy went everywhere. Every nook and cranny it could put its snout in, he sniffed. Jason had to fish the puppy out of three holes it got stuck in before it even breached the second floor.

It was adorable watching him go up the stairs, each one its own individual mountain to climb. Jason was exhausted just watching him reach the top, but still followed out of decency when the puppy bounded off to his next big adventure.

They passed a few open doors, Jason realising the puppy was following Damian's scent when it took a sharp detour into Bruce's study.

"I'm going to tell you this now buddy. You pee in here, Bruce will probably try and make you into a fluffy hat." Jason still kind of hoped the dog would do it anyway. Jason was sure something this small and cute could get away with it the first five or six times.

"Don't know about a hat. Maybe a scarf of some kind."

Jason tensed, not having heard Dick sneak up behind him. He made himself relax, ready to start in on the usual jibes. Yet, when he looked, all Jason could do was lash out. His fist landed on Dick's jaw. Dick remembered to block as the next one flew towards him.

"Jason- what the-" Dick huffed as Jason got a good kick to his stomach in. "Jason!"

He didn't even try to listen, his ears blocking out all sound as the only sense still working narrowed in on Dick's skin. Dick's tan smooth skin.


	2. Chapter 2

A weight crashed into his back, too heavy to be Tim. Jason could hear Bruce's grunts as he forced Jason down on his front. He struggled that last bit before his head hit the floor, his body going on automatic as the fight drained out of him. Bruce didn't even need to restrain him at this point. Even if Jason had the urge to fight still, he'd been to well trained to try. 

The world grew gray, long forgotten memories coming to the surface as he listened to Bruce snap, "What happened?"

"He just- Bruce I swear I didn't do anything."

"What happened?" Bruce enunciated again before bending down so he could listen to the words Jason didn't know were escaping his mouth. He perked up, a hissed, "Wipe your neck," directed at Dick as he sat Jason up slowly. He cradeled Jason's jaw, forcing him to make eye contact, the move surprisingly gentle despite the grip Bruce had. "Jay listen. You gotta calm down, your mind is playing tricks on you. It's just like Crane okay. Deep breath in, deep breath out."

It took a while before Jason's trust in Bruce won out over fear. With every deep breath the world righted itself, until Bruce came into focus. 

"Jay," Bruce started, his eyes darting behind Jason's head for a moment. "I need you to listen, okay, I need you to look at Dick. It's him, I promise. He's not going to hurt you." Jason felt himself tense up, enough that Bruce started breathing with him again. "Jay, trust me."

Bruce motioned Dick over, Jason ready to bolt as soon as Dick's face came into view, but unlike before it wasn't from fear. Now the panic was mostly gone, Jason could see where he'd been mistaken before. Dick's neck wasn't smooth. In fact, there was a rather nasty cut running along the one already there. Even with make up on Jason should have been able to make it out. He knew Bruce knew that too, and that, this wasn't going to just blow over. 

"I had a photo shoot," Dick grumbled, keeping a rather wary berth even if he stayed within Jason's eye line. "Figured they might freak if they saw I'd been cut open like an ex wife's voodoo doll."

"Right," Jason breathed out, his voice thin and barely there. He cleared his throat, looking to see that Tim and Alfred had joined this little pity party too. It took a few tries for Jason to get his feet under him, and he didn't even try and bat off Bruce when the man helped him keep steady. Instead, as soon as he was confident he wouldn't fall flat on his face when he moved more than a step, he tried to make a hasty exit. 

Surprisingly, no one stopped him. It was only when Jason got to the front gate that he realised why. 

He had no way of getting home. Bruce wasn't going to give him a car or even a spare bike, not after that little stunt, and since walking would mean he was going to be late for patrol tonight, the only logical course of action would be to go back into the manor.

He debated it. He really did. He was spiteful enough to walk back and miss patrol altogether. But he knew, as soon as he got home someone would be there to ambush him. This was too far, too worrying for Bruce to turn a blind eye to. He'd outright attacked Dick, and there was really no reason whatsoever for why Jason had the right to do that. It wasn't Dick's fault his double was a psychotic demon. It wasn't Dick's fault that Jason had to check his apartment five times over before he even deigned to try and fall asleep. It wasn't Dick's fault even thinking about the bathrooms in the manor, the old room that Jason definitely was never claiming as his own again, turned his skin so much he felt like clawing at it. 

It wasn't Dick's fault. 

But it sure didn't make things better that every time Jason saw him his brain had to check. It had to make sure that the demon really was gone. 

He sucked in another deep breath, slowing his heart as he decided a good compromise to not going home was to just wait out Bruce's inevitable confrontation on the front porch. It was warm, thankfully, so Jason didn't mind too much sitting in the open. 

He didn't know how long passed, the family inside most likely debating who was going to drag Jason inside. But, at some point, Alfred came out with some sandwiches for him, his crutches making his life ten times harder as he tried footing the door open long enough to balance his tray out. Jason just took the thing off him before he could even try, holding the door as Alfred found his feet, or foot, again.

"We have a perfectly good table inside Master Jason. One I've even seen the rest of your brood eat at on occasion."

Jason smiled. "I know. I just... I think we all need to calm down after that. Besides, there's a puppy that needs seeing to. I'm happy to just sit out here until Bruce gets sick of me."

"I'm afraid you'll have a very long wait then."

Jason shooed Alfred off when it looked like the man was actually contemplating sitting outside with him. Alfred had better things to do than babysit a full grown man. Namely, as Jason heard, helping catch a warrant puppy that was currently peeing on Tim's socks.

The sandwiches were great, as always, and proved that things weren't completely broken around here. If Alfred was able to start on some of his lighter duties again his leg must be getting better. Jason briefly wondered if Tim's chest had healed. Knowing Tim, they probably had, fate just seemed to like to work that way. He knew Tim bruised like a peach, sure, but on this occasion, Jason wouldn't put it past God to let Tim off on this new monstrosity. He would only leave Jason with the scars of what happened. 

The sandwiches were nearly all gone when Damian poked his head out. He was the last person Jason expected to get to him first. He would have thought Dick would try first, Bruce a near definite second, just pushed out of the running by the fact Dick was the one Jason attacked. Really, the idea that Damian would be the one sitting next to him and grabbing the last ham and cheese, digging the ham out to toss to Jason like he was some kind of dog, didn't even cross his mind.

"I have come to inform you your choice of dog is meeting my expectations." Which was basically Damian's way of saying Jason had made a good choice and he was loving every minute with his new puppy.

"You're welcome." 

Damian finished off his sandwich, tossing the crusts on the tray for Alfred to take care of. It was hard sometimes to remember Damian was a kid. The way he talked, the way he acted. He looked like a kid, there was no doubt, but the aura around him spoke of something older. It was sad, in a way. Until Damian did something like not eat his crusts and Jason thought he could see why Dick had so much patience with him. There was a kid there, hiding beneath all that poise sure, but it was definitely a kid. 

It was why when Damian said, "I do not like you attacking Grayson," Jason could see this had nothing to do with the act he was putting on. Right now, he was a kid that had just seen his favourite brother attacked and deemed to stop it from happening again.

"Trust me kid, I don't like it either." 

"Do not get me wrong, I understand why. Grayson told me what had happened to you."

Jason stopped himself from reacting visibly, a terse, "Did he?" slipping out in its place.

Damian nodded. "He said you were the victim of a supernatural entity. I must confess, my knowledge of these creatures are limited, and Grayson did not indulge anything save the essentials." He stopped there, his fingers lacing together to capture his knees. "However," he started again, "I do know that what he spoke of, that day before myself and Drake were sent away, is true."

"Damian-" Jason started, not even knowing how to breach this subject. He had kind of hoped that Dick would have swept that incident under the rug. Bruce and Alfred had to know, they were adults, of course they had to know. But Tim and Damian, they were kids, worse, Bruce's kids who saw the evils of the world every night they went to fight it. To have the knowledge that what Dick had been raving about was true, Jason knew it never sat right in a person. Even if it wasn't Dick... well, there was a reason Jason kept checking for Dick's scars. 

"He was evil, wasn't he? The other Grayson. He was doing it because it was in his nature, not because he wanted to. Father told us that demons are often slaves to their instincts. This Grayson, he would have had no choice." It wasn't phrased like a question but Jason could hear the desperation in it anyway.

"Yeah kid. I'm telling you, there's not one Dick out there with a free will that would choose to do what that thing did."

Damian breathed easier next to him. His hands unlaced from his knees, the security in Jason's false words proving the comfort he needed to poise himself again. "You should know, Grayson is suffering too. Father and he were fighting the other day because Grayson would not go into a territory he knew you would be in."

That was news to Jason. Not the suffering part, he knew Dick was just as messed up as he was about all this. But the whole avoidance thing, well, Dick hadn't been too hard pressed to keep away just before. 

Jason pursed his lips, looking Damian over as he did so. There was nothing Jason could do just yet to help with Dick and Bruce's little spats. There was nothing anyone could do about them really. But, he may have some knowledge on how to cope with fear, and if Damian was desperate enough to approach Jason for some kind of answer, he supposed it was only right to give the kid something.

"The worst of it is the lack of sleep." He got Damian's attention, Jason practically seeing the mental notes being made. "If you don't sleep your mind starts fixating, dreaming, and things get worse. It's hard, and every part of him is going to be telling him to not sleep, but he needs to Damian."

Instead of scoffing, Damian nodded his head slowly. "I have noticed Grayson wandering the halls. But, surely Pennyworth would have done something about this before my intervention. He has reared Grayson the longest."

Jason bit back a smile, glad Damian was finally starting to notice who did the child rearing in the manor. "Maybe, but Alfred's got his leg to take care of. Besides, I know for a fact the best way to get Dick Grayson to fall asleep is to not let him be alone. It's the reason he slept with Bruce until he was... well, I guess he still does that. But, with you kids in the house he's probably not going to want to sneak into daddy's bed."

He saw Damian start to get a picture of where Jason was leading him. The scowl on his face grew until it turned into a full blown pout. "You wish me to be the one to stay with him."

"Or Tim. Might actually be good for the kid. Just, if want to help, I swear, I'm not messing with you here, sleeping will do wonders for him."

Damian thought on it for a while, scrutinizing Jason for his sincerity. Eventually however, even Damian had to concede to the logic in Jason's words. With another pout, Damian huffed, "I will think on it," getting up to take the tray back in to the manor.

Left alone again, Jason drifted in the warm breeze. He found it easier to sleep outside. Maybe it was because he'd spent his childhood here. His mom was still a bit touch and go for memories, but Jason could still remember the elation he would feel when he slept under the sky. Out here, sure, there were people who would hurt him, but he knew their intentions, they weren't just masquerading as nice people. Not like inside. There was space too. Space to move, to fight, to run if needed. Not to mention there weren't any bathrooms out here. Or beds, or chairs. Nothing he could be-

He jerked, punching out as soon as he felt the air change behind him. His fist was caught easily, an unhappy grunt reaching Jason's ears as Bruce let him go and took the space Damian had vacated, what, hours ago now.

"When did it get dark?"

"Half an hour ago. Tim's been trying to convince me you went home."

Of course he was. Jason got himself comfortable. This was it, the talk he'd been waiting for. Once this was over with Bruce would either give him a vehicle or drive him home himself. Either of those scenarios were welcome at this point.

Bruce entwined his hands, his knees caught in the middle of his arms. Jason wondered if Damian had even noticed he'd picked up that habit, or whether he'd spent hours watching Bruce just so he could have another thing in common with his dad. Either way, the move was a dead give away that Bruce was about to delve into something uncomfortable. Like father like son after all. 

"Do you remember when you first came to live here?"

Interesting that they were starting here first. "Like, can I remember specific times or just that I moved in?"

That got him an odd squint, Bruce blinking once to remove it as he focused back on the task at hand. "Well, when you first came here, I remember this little boy who I thought was going to be like Dick. I'd dealt with the tantrums, the crying, the hugs, those times he would get violent and just wreck things. I thought you would be just the same. You were very similar after all, or, I thought you were. You had the same loss, the same need to do better, and it scared me to death that I was wrong."

Jason thought back, tried to remember if he had been like that. He was sure he'd thrown some tantrums. He distinctly remembered breaking one of Alfred's cookie jars he'd brought back from England. The guilt was what kept him up that night, gluing the pieces back together. He remembered giving it back the next day, knowing for a fact he was going to get punished only for Alfred to tell him not to worry about it. That it was just a cheap thing he'd picked up from the airport because he knew Bruce wouldn't like it. Really, Jason had been all those things that Bruce had just said. "Look, if this is you trying to tell me I was a bad kid, I know I was."

"No," the way he said it was so certain, like he knew for a fact Jason had never been a brat. "Listen, there's a point to this."

"Okay," Jason said, preparing himself for another list of his faded childhood traits. 

"So, I was wrong. You were nothing like Dick. For starters, you were smarter than him. You were," Bruce insisted when Jason started laughing. "Trust me, getting Dick to even think about his homework was a chore. You just dove on into it, coming into my study with reports or requests for new books because something had took your interest. And when I say books, I mean tomes. And you read all of them, front to back. You were smart Jason, sometimes I even wonder if you're smarter than Tim. I mean, I've listened to Tim complain a few times over the years about you breaking into his apartment. I can't even do that without at least a little help."

"I heard you usually just get Kon to let you in." Or Alfred if Kon was out. Even the image of Bruce hulking over a terrified Superboy threatened to drive him back into hysterics. How Kon hadn't tattled on Bruce to Clark yet was a miracle.

"Yes, well, my point is that you were smart." Bruce's hands clenched, "You were also hurting in a way I didn't have any experience dealing with before. You have to understand Jason, my only point of reference at that point was Dick. I'm... I don't know if you've noticed this but I'm not that good with people."

"Understatement."

He saw Bruce crack a small smile. "I understood that the cases were different but my way of dealing with them were the same. I didn't understand that what worked with Dick wouldn't work with you. It wasn't until Tim, really, that I figured some of that out. So, when you cried, a hug that would usually work with Dick, only caused you to lash out more. A tantrum I could soothe with ice cream or talking would just send you off. Your anger is different to his, to mine, and I know with my lack of understanding it drove you to rely on habits that have been pretty much a stable feature for you."

"So, you're saying you understand now?" Since, it hadn't been that long ago since he was fifteen. Bruce was a quick study but not even he could understand the entirety of Jason's psyche in that short a time. 

"Not even close," Bruce admitted, which made Jason feel a bit better. This wouldn't be a higher than thou speech. "But, I do know that there are better ways to move on from what's happened. Things that don't leave you attacking Dick. I know you're scared Jason, Dick is too. I just want to help."

"I know." He did. All that talk of counselling. Bruce wouldn't offer it if he didn't mean it, and honestly, Jason had thought about taking him up on his offer. There was only so much a person could take before they got desperate enough to try anything. If counselling worked for so many people then it could probably work for Jason too. But, the problem wasn't getting things off his chest. Hell, if Bruce asked he would tell him whatever he wanted to know. It had never been about keeping things close. What bothered him were the reactions people had to what he said. He couldn't stand the pity, the snide comments, the idea that every time they looked at him they were remembering what he said. He couldn't stand that his words might come back to haunt him years down the line, because people were cruel and they always turned on each other when given the chance. So, no, it wasn't that he was afraid to speak, it was that he was afraid, when he spoke, they were going to offer something more permanent than another five sessions. 

If Jason got locked up in Arkham again he was going to massacre everyone inside it. 

"I can't do counselling," Jason said at last. "I just can't. Not with a stranger."

Bruce sighed, not looking at all surprised when Jason checked but still a little disheartened. "I understand. But, please, talk to someone. Even if it's Roy, or Kori. Just, don't keep it to yourself."

"Would you listen?" Jason asked, curiosity burning behind every word. He wanted to know if Bruce was putting himself in that list, if he was going to make himself sit through and listen to every sordid, disgusting detail Jason had to say.

"I would," Bruce said at last. "I wouldn't enjoy it, but I would listen."

That answered that. "I'll think about it."

They stayed outside for a few minutes longer before Bruce uncurled himself and asked if Jason wanted a ride home. Looked like Bruce still didn't trust him to drive, Jason didn't blame him.

The garage was through the house, Jason spying the family in one of the living rooms when they passed. Cass had taken the puppy hostage, Damian climbing her back to get him back. Tim had his camera ready, no doubt the little geek had a whole photo album prepared for the puppies first days. Jason didn't linger long on Dick, the bruise blossoming under his eye sending a wave of guilt to the pit of Jason's stomach.

They took the Mercedes, Bruce having the generosity to give Jason radio rights as they started on the long stretch of road to the city.

"Can't believe you got Damian another dog," Jason said as the first district loomed.

Bruce laughed beside him, "I got the family a dog, not just Damian."

"You realise that's not going to mean anything to the brat right?"

Bruce shrugged, "Way I see it, a puppy is a good learning curve. We got Titus when he was already a year old, Damian's never had to care for a pup before. I figure, a dog will put him off from asking for a horse for another year at least. And Tim's been needing a reason to come home more often. Dick already loves it and Cass, well, I think I heard her ordering puppy beds online with Stephanie."

"And you?" Since Jason could see that Bruce wasn't as unaffected by this new arrival as he tried to be. "You know that thing's gonna pee all over. He's not allowed out until he has his last shot. You're gonna have to potty train him, like, with puppy pads and stuff."

"Well, it's a good thing I have a puppy expert to consult." He gave Jason a pointed look.

"If you think I'm going to be coming around to see the dog you're crazy."

"As I recall, a puppy is everything you ever wanted since you were five. You're actually telling me that now I've bought you one you're not going to look after him?"

"You bought him," Jason pointed out.

"And Damian told me you chose him out of all the other puppies. Try all you like Jay, I know you're going to be around snapping pictures of Ace yourself by the weekend."

Jason restrained his pout, wondering if he could get away with two weeks of pretending not to care before caving. But, if he did, puppies grew fast at that age, Jason would be missing out on his first bark and his first poo in Tim's shoes.

"Ace?" Jason asked instead, not drawing attention to the fact he'd completely not said he would be boycotting the manor in the foreseeable future. 

"Like I said, it's the family's dog. And since that family lives under my roof I get naming rights."

"Ace?" Jason asked again.

"It's a good name," Bruce defended.

"For a playing card."


	3. Chapter 3

Jason lasted two days before he was back at the manor. He kept a wary eye inside as he let himself in, figuring Bruce had probably seen him coming about three miles back. No small black thing tried to make an escape, so Jason felt safe walking the first few halls without looking down.

Cass had taken hostage of Ace when he managed to find the puppy. She had a line of toys next to her and a wriggling puppy trying to crawl its way over to them.

Jason dropped his own stuff down, picking the adorable thing up while Cass none too subtly checked for anything harmful.

"I got him a bed," Jason told her, the round plush pet bed catching Jason's eye yesterday when he just so happened to be passing the pet store. He knew Bruce would get a kick out of it,the bed shaped like a diamond and a big 1 in the middle. "A few toys too. Maybe a collar as well. I didn't really check what I put in the basket."

The puppy gave him a few licks before squirming to be put down. Jason let him, watching as Ace sniffed the new presents.

"Where's Damian?" Would have thought the kid would have twenty four hour surveillance on the pup. He was just as bad as a dog for being territorial.

"Sleeping."

 Jason checked the clock. "It's two. He's usually up at five." Or he had been when Jason had stayed briefly. Then again, that schedule had been when Titus was still alive. Maybe the kid had decided to get a few hours now the puppy just went where he liked. It would be a smart move. Damian barely slept as it is, and while his teenage senses seemed to have lain dormant so far, it was only a matter of time before they kicked in.

"He has a cold. Dick is looking after him."

 "Poor Dick."

 Cass gave him a look that told him she agreed.

 The two of them spent a while looking up youtube videos after Jason suggested they figure out how someone went about potty training a dog. It didn't look that hard, but the technique, no matter where they looked, seemed to put a lot of trust in the puppy to figure it out on his own. They set up the pads anyway, Jason purposefully leaving Tim's room pad free figuring maybe a bit of dog waste might incite the kid to sort his bomb site out.

By the time they were done, Jason heard the door go again and watched as Ace perked his head up and made excited wiggling motions. "Who is it boy?" Ace wiggled even more, his whole body shaking as he debated leaving Jason to greet the new pack member. "You wanna go see him?"

Jason picked Ace up, mainly because he wanted to feel that soft fur on his face. Also, there were stairs, and just because Ace could get up did not mean he could get down. Cass caught up with them at the bannister, running ahead to wrap her arms around Bruce. Jason carried Ace down, watching as the puppy bounded over to Bruce to say hello. 

Bruce actually picked Ace up, letting the dog lavish his greetings on him. "I go to work without anyone out of bed and come home to a full house. I could get used to this." 

"It's just a pit stop," Jason defended.

Bruce didn't call him out on his lies. Instead, he dropped his briefcase, held the puppy more securely, and said, "Why don't we go see what your brother has brought you?" 

The shock of hearing the mighty Bruce Wayne talk like that lasted until Cass led them back to the living room. By that point, Jason had put it down to stress, or maybe tiredness since he did have a sick Damian on his hands. But then Bruce started showing Ace the toys Jason had brought around like the dog was a toddler and all sanity promptly left his mind.

Jason may have filmed some of it for later. The rest of them might have gotten Bruce like this two days ago but Jason wasn't around all the time. This was a miracle, and Jason was lucky enough to have a camera to film it on.

Ace obviously didn't understand the meaning of the puppy pads yet since he peed all over the rug at one point. Bruce didn't even raise his voice, just carried the still pissing dog over to the nearest pad. When Ace was done, Bruce tossed a few wipes to Cass and carried the puppy up on another adventure to check on his other brothers. 

"Okay, I am definitely hallucinating this," Jason said.

Cass laughed, a small one that nevertheless filled the room. "He is happy. A puppy brings everyone together." 

He got what she was saying. A puppy brought Jason over without having to make a lavish excuse. He could just feign uninterest like he did with Titus but, well, he chose that dog. It was kind of his.

They finished scrubbing the pee, Jason vowing to grab the carpet cleaner before he left. Alfred shouldn't be cleaning up after Ace. Not with his leg.

The two of them grabbed a toy each, following the sound of excited whimpering u til they found the puppy exploring the vast planes of Damian's bed. Bruce was taking Damian's temperature, Dick knocked out on the other side of him. Jason briefly wondered if he had looked that worn down when he was ill.

He came closer, saving Ace from a drop that would probably break a paw. He put the puppy in Damian's lap, watching an almost instant change go over the kid. The rigid shoulders dropped, Damian's scowl fading to an almost smile as Ace rolled on his back for a scratching. Jason could kind of see why Bruce had given in and got Titus. If this was the change in temperament, Jason would probably only approach the kid when there was an animal around.

"How are you feeling Damian?' Bruce asked.

 Damian grunted, shrugging rather than answering.

 "I think it's best you stay home tonight."

Not even an angry scowl. Damian must really be sick. 

Jason peered around Bruce's bulk, "Want me to stay with you?" He could feel the eyes in the room draw to him. He'd said this was a pit stop, which, yeah they knew was a lie. But Jason hadn't solely come here for the puppy when he did decide to come today. "It's Roy's birthday, so I'm making a cake with a heavy sedative in. Maybe a back up cake too." Since there was no way the guards were going to let Roy have the first one. 

"Do you really have to break Roy out of prison? I would have thought he would be able to do that himself," Bruce said. Since he didn't say anything too disrespectful, maybe even praised Roy somewhere in there, Jason didn't take the question badly. 

"He can, but, I figure it looks less suspicious if it looks like a kidnapping than a planned break out. Maybe I can slip a shiv in."

"You are not slipping a shiv in," Bruce negated, his voice still low so as not to wake Dick. "If anything, a gas cannister with a timer, but not a shiv."

"Urgh, fine." He was taking the win where he could. "But, I figure when I come back, I can keep an eye on Damian. Let Dick go out for a few hours. He's gotta be getting antsy by now." It was just a fact of life that Dick Grayson hated people being sick. He didn't say it out loud, Jason didn't even think Dick knew himself he hated them. It wasn't that he was mean, or ignorant. He was possibly the best nurse out there, his bedside manner impeccable. But he got antsy, like far too antsy. Dick needed a purpose, always had, and when someone was laid up in bed there was only so much they could do with him. After a while it became unbearable, Damian had probably slipped Dick some of his medicine. Either that or Dick still wasn't getting enough sleep.

He left after another hour, purely because he needed time to recover from another bout of insane Bruce. He picked up what he needed for Roy's cake, and maybe a few treats he knew the others, if not Damian would appreciate. By the time he drove back someone had managed to whip up dinner, and if it weren't for the questionable quality of the food he would have feared Alfred had done it. He knew the man was pushy, but cooking was still definitely out of the question for Alfred's capabilities right now. 

Damian had managed to drag himself down for something to eat, Dick too, still sleep rumpled and looking like hell. That meant whatever concoction was in front of Jason was either of Tim or Bruce's making. Jason prayed for Tim, he hadn't tasted the kids cooking before but so long as it didn't give him food poisoning like Bruce's Jason was willing to swallow it.

The family filtered out when everyhing was finished, or, just left on its place with plans for take out being made. Jason made sure he fulfilled the big brother role and helped Damian back to bed, if only so he wouldn't have Bruce phoning hourly to check his precious baby was still alive.

Damian was out like a light, Alfred the cat hopping up to curl in the gap his arms made. Jason snapped a picture to show to Bruce as he walked back to the kitchen. No one had bothered to think of helping Alfred clean up, so Jason shooed the man off to look for his outstandig lemon cake recipe as he tackled the worst of dinners mess.

Living alone, Jason forgot how much he enjoyed Alfred's company. Well, that wasn't true, he always missed Alfred. But being in his presence was different than remembering. Here, Alfred could say or do something that was just wholly him, like the way he scribbled in the margins of his recipe book. It brought back memories Jason never thought he would recover. Like when he was twelve and Alfred showed Jason his recipe book for the first time. Jason had always thought scribbling in books were wrong. The ones he always got his hands on were filled with inky drawings and crude words, almost always obscuring the text he desperately wanted to read. He'd told Alfred so, that he shouldn't draw in them, and Alfred had simply taken him to the counter and told him to follow the original. He'd needed help at times, some of the words illegible to his uneducated brain, but eventually Jason managed It had been his first bakeoff, and by the end, after thoroughly taste testing both of them, he could understand why, in this case, the scribbles were good. Alfred was modifying to make them better, and to this day a recipe book is the only thing Jason will bring himself to write over.

He was icing the second cake, colouring the little arrows red when he heard the first signs of patrol ending. The clock read one, whoever it was calling it early. Jason grew a bit worried, picking Ace up who had wandered in at some point, in case the pup got hurt. There was never a good reason for someone to come home early. When they did it was either a poison, injury or severe disappointment from Bruce. Jason was kind of hoping for the last as he grabbed the nearest knife.

Ace started his squirming as the scent of new person assaulted his nose. If Jason didn't care what happened to this dog he would've just let him squirm away. As it was, Jason hefted the pup higher, ignoring the beginnings of his whining as they walked upstairs. There was no way Jason could be sneaky, not with Ace, so he didn't bother trying. It was probably a good thing too, people in this family really didn't react well to a fright.

The second hallway along Jason heard whoever it was again. He listened to the drop, thumps of armour hitting the floor and the hitch in breath that came through the wall. Dick. 

He debated leaving. Tim Jason could handle, Damian was too sick to be much of a problem. Cass, maybe Jason could have quarantined. But Dick was difficult. Jason always made sure he was prepared before he went up against him. If he was high on fear gas right now the best thing to do would to leave and let Bruce take care of it. The bat couldn't be that far behind.

Jason knocked, clutching the knife that bit tighter. "Dick? You okay?"

The hitches stopped, Dick's voice carefully controlled when he asked, "Jay? You're still here?"

"I needed the kitchen. Roy."

A small snort reached Jason. Not fear gas then. There were a few clatters, Dick taking off the rest of his suit, before the door opened. He didn't look hurt, save for a few scrapes on his hand. Really, the problem were his eyes, still red from more than just his domino being pulled away. 

Ace was unbearable now Dick was in sight. He was crying full force, his little paws batting against Jason until he was put down. The dog sniffed Dick's legs, bare of his suit, and crouching to give Ace a good petting.

Jason watched, swinging his arms slightly. Dick wasn't hurt, but he was upset. If it were him on the other side of the door he knew Dick would stay with him. Thing was, with the roles reversed Jason knew if he just left Dick he wouldn't seek someone else out. He was stupid like that, getting the whole repress his feelings thing from Bruce. Only problem was, unlike Bruce, Dick would eventually explode, and God help those in the way. When Dick let go he took no prisoners, and from the looks of things it wouldn't be long before that happened. Jason might not care a great deal for his little brothers, but Jason wouldn't wish the backlash on them.

"I still have some stuff left, a few scraps from the cake too if you want something to eat? 

He could see Dick ready to make an excuse, but just then his stomach rumbled, and it wasn't like they had a substantial dinner. "What kind?"

 "Lemon. Alfred's recipe."

Which was how Jason found himself finishing off the last of the little arrows on Roy's cake. He brought the rest of the red lemon icing over to Dick, grabbing Ace from the table before the pup could think of taking a bite. He'd already shoved a bunch of cupcakes into the oven, the two of them having to settle for Roy's scraps until they were done. 

"I feel like I'm at a tea party," Jason said.

Dick cracked a smile, dipping his scrap in the icing like it was a fancy chip. "What kind of tea party have you been to like this?"

 Jason shrugged, the memory just coming to him as they often did when he stayed in the manor for a while. "Me and Alfred used to have them. We'd make cupcakes and cookies and pretend it was sunny outside while we sipped our lemonade."

"No Bruce?"

Jason rolled his eyes, "Who do you think we were gossiping about? It would kind of defeat the purpose if he was there."

An actual laugh stemmed out of Dick, the noise broken but nevertheless a laugh. "You should have told me. I wouldn't have said no to a tea party."

'Nah," He fingered a corner, swiping some excess icing off. "You were too busy with the Titans. Besides, I always thought you'd make fun of me if you found out." 

"You had a poor opinion of me." They shared a look, both of them remembering the attitudes they had for each other back then. Yes, it had drifted to friendship in the later years, but in the beginning Dick was just as against him as he was against Dick. "Okay, maybe I would have made fun of you. But I wouldn't really mean it. It wasn't your fault what happened."

 "Yeah." Jason knew that. There were faults on both sides for their relationship, but the big one was Bruce's lack of intervention. Sometimes Jason wondered what it would be like if they had a dad who knew what he was doing. Knew how to sit his kids down and explain what was going on. "So, you okay?"

"Yeah," was the quick answer, which Jason had been expecting. Dick always denied, always put on a face. Usually he got away with it too. But Jason was stubborn and had nowhere to be for the next seven hours.

"Damian says he's worried. Like he actually told me that." And if Damian told someone he was worried they better damn listen.

"Damian..." Dick trailed, the cheery smile fading. "I guess I've been a bit distant with him. I swear, I didn't even realise it until this morning. Turns out it's been a few weeks since I've bothered Damian. He willingly showed me his sketchbook. I didn't even have to beg or sneak a peak when he was out of the room."

This was a good start. Dick was talking, and it was about himself. It might not be the problem at hand but Jason could wait. As it was, he was happy listening to Dick berate himself for ignoring Damian, Tim as well. Jason found himself not tuning it out either. With no one at home to bother him he'd never had the pressure Dick had to put on a brave face, but Jason could see some similarities in some aspects of their situations. 

"I just, I want to be alone, you know, but at the same time I don't. I'm scared to be. But when I'm alone I don't have to answer if I'm okay or if I want to do something, yet at the same time if I'm alone I have no one to talk to and..."

"You start freaking out," Jason finished, fishing the cupcakes out the oven.

"Yeah." Dick slumped into his arms. "I freaked out tonight."

Jason kept quiet, Dick just needed to get this out, defuse the bomb. He started setting the cupcakes to cool, taking two over so they could sloppily dip them into the icing.

"I came across a rape, and I did my job, you know, punch the bad guy, rescue the victim. But then, I started thinking on the way back how I had been that bad guy, I know you said it wasn't me but I could feel it Jay. And then it brought up other memories of Tarantula and-" A small hitch signalled the freakout. Jason pulled Ace over and the cupcakes as Dick's hands started to shake. Jason scooted his chair back as Dick noticed the shakes. If there was one thing Dick hated it was loss of control over his body. He was a performer, everything had to be in top shape, and this along with whatever his mind was dredging up hsd Dick storming off in a matter of seconds.

The crashes made him wince, Jason making a note to clean them before Alfred woke as he picked Ace back up. Dick's rampage started and ended on the patio. It was Dick's favourite freak out spot, Bruce telling Jason when he first moved in that the chairs and small table were things he'd picked up from one of those cheap stores. It was basically Bruce's way of saying he didn't care if they got wrecked. The why that was so relevant Jason only learned when he saw the aftermath of one of Bruce and Dick's fights. He found Dick then, as he did now, sat amongst a pile of shattered glass and bent legs.

He locked Ace inside, checking Dick's knuckles before he sat himself. Dick leaned his head on Jason's shoulder, quiet sobs shaking his shoulders. "I don't know how you do it. How you look at me. I can barely- And the nightmares. I can still hear him in my head. Sometimes I wonder if it's just aftershocks or if he's still there, in my mind. You have to help me Jay. Please, just tell me what to do."

"I can't," Jason said. "As much as I would like to have all the answers, I don't. Besides, I don't know why you would want to take advice from a guy like me. Don't know if you remember that little stint with that sucker I gave you, but I think it proves neither of us are the pinnacle of good health right now." 

Dick grunted, the noise neither agreeing nor disagreeing. "But, at least, when you go out you don't chicken back home. This is the fourth time I've done this."

"Thought you were avoiding my patrol routes."

Dick squinted slightly at him before something clicked in his head. "Damian."

"Damian," Jason agreed. "And it's not that I don't chicken out. I do, I have. But, I guess I'm able to focus myself better when I remember that I'm not going to be the only one with this feeling if I don't do something."

Dick whined, his hands carding through his hair. He really needed a shower. "See, now, I think that, I know that, yet- here I am." 

Jason sat for a while, thinking on that. "Maybe you just gotta figure out what works for you. We're different people Dickie, loathe as Bruce was to admit it back then."

They watched the stars for a while, Dick getting heavier and heavier on Jason's shoulder. "Has Bruce spoke to you about counselling?" Dick asked.

"Yeah. I turned him down. It's not for me."

 "Really?" 

Jason nodded, "My issues stem way before Bruce found me. I know, if I told someone they'd have to do something. It's like that whole confession loophole. It's only confidential to a point."

He knew without looking Dick was smiling, he always did when Father Todd was brought up. "It can't be that bad."

"I'm a murderer Dickie, and you know what the worst thing is, that's the tamest thing on my list."

Dick breathed shakily beside him for a bit. Not out of fear, there was a difference. It was like tipping the edge of a waterfall, it was only a matter of time before you fell. Sure enough, just as Jason was going to suggest they check on Damian, Dick said, "I think I'm gonna go." 

"I hope it helps." He bumped his head against Dick's, nudging him off as he stood. "Well, I have a Damian to check on and cupcakes to ice."

Dick jumped up, his eyes already on Ace who had been not so subtly crying behind the glass while they spoke. "Probably a good idea. I better go to bed. Keep me a cupcake?"

"Only if you shower," Jason promised.

The two of them tag teamed Ace when he tried to make his escape into the wilds of the Wayne Estate, Dick getting Ace first which meant he got cuddling rights. They trekked up the long stairs Dick's room only a door down from Damian's. Dick handed the puppy over reluctantly, the two of them agreeing since Jason was going to be up later he should be on babysitting duty.

 He gave Dick a mock wave with Ace's paw, stopped from leaving when Dick said, "I really mean it when I say you would make a good priest. You just know the right time to listen."

"Nah," Jason waved off, "I just know this families buttons. If you know how to push them you know how to stop them."

"Still," Dick continued, "it helps. And, if you need it, I'll listen if you want to talk."

"Thanks."


	4. Chapter 4

The phone was ringing.

"Roy," Jason reached back to bat at his bedmate. "Roy!" It still didn't stop ringing, and worse, Jason couldn't feel Roy there. "Harper, I swear," he sighed, prying his eyes open to reach the phone. It wasn't even his, just some burner phone they had the mind to buy before they went looking for trouble. "You're dead to me," Jason said answering the call.

"I adore and miss you too Jay," Roy chirped back, far too happy for this time of the morning.

"What do you want?" Since if he wasn't in the bed next to Jason that just meant he was getting into trouble.

"I'm heading to Coast. Thought you looked too peaceful to wake and a note is always insensitive so this is my goodbye." 

Jason sat up, noting that, yep Roy's meager stuff was gone. "A case?"

Roy snorted, "I wish. More a pissed off princess I have to appease. I would've asked you to come but..."

"I get it." He wanted some alone time. Roy also knew how Jason felt about being away from Gotham for long periods of time. If he'd asked Jason to go with him, they were bound to find some adventure that would keep them busy for months. Jason only got crankier and crankier on those trips. "You still woke up though, ass."

"It's like noon."

Jason checked the clock next to him, the numbers indeed reading after ten o clock. "Huh."

"Well, I have to go, but know that I love you dearly. Oh, and your brother called. The little frightening one. Said something about getting here urgently. I figured everything was probably an emergency with this kid though so, good luck."

Jason hummed mumbling out a goodbye as he crawled out of bed. He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept so well. They hadn't even done anything out of the ordinary. They ate cake, went hunting for ice cream and persuaded the cat down the street to stop yowling with a good meal. It was more like a kids party than a birthday bash. There hadn't even been alcohol for God's sake. Yet, when Jason had dropped off at three in the morning his body had felt sated enough to knock him out for a good nine hours. That was more sleep he got in a week. Especially of late.

He yawned his way through breakfast, shoved on a shirt that smelled clean and figured he'd go see what Damian wanted as he grabbed the new dog brush he'd bought for Ace and hopped on his bike.

Bruce was waiting at the front door for him, Ace on his knee with a little harness on just incase he tried to do a runner. Jason only thought it was creepy Bruce was waiting him for about three seconds, then he noted the way Ace kept sneaking kisses and Jason was effectively distracted.

Jason got a good cuddle in, the three of them relocating to Ace's living room where his toys lived before Damian found them. He stormed in, all signs of illness gone from his body save a rather aggravated nose, and called for Jason to go with him like Jason was the dog.

"Any warnings?" Jason asked Bruce.

Bruce took Ace back, squeaking a little bone for him and not looking worried in the slightest as he said, "I don't know why he called you." Promptly sending Jason off into the unknown after that. 

Damian was waiting for him in Jason's old room. The whole place made his skin turn, memories of the... incident bathed in every inch of the air. Jason almost walked away, but Damian had a reason for everything he did so he sucked it up and stepped over the threshold.

The door closed, Damian running to the window, checking outside before pulling the curtains shut. "We should not be overheard in here."

Jason breathed deeply, focusing on it instead of the bathroom door that had been fixed at some point. "Paranoid?"

"Tt. You would be too if you suspected what I do."

Damian still didn't keep still, he was all over the room, checking under sheets and along walls. Checking for bugs. "What exactly is going on?" Jason asked.

Damian held a finger up as he crawled under the bed. When he popped out the other side, his face had grown even more serious. He came close, motioning Jason to crouch. "I have reason to suspect Grayson is on narcotics."

"Drugs," Jason repeated. "Dick?" Since the two just seemed too insane to mix. This was a guy who had condemned almost a life friendship with Roy because ofa relapse. Dick was about as anti drug as it got.

Yet Damian nodded. "I have been attempting to follow your instruction to get Grayson to sleep. It has been challenging since my body decided to turn against me, however, Grayson's bedside manner has provided an excellent excuse for rest on both parties."

"Okay," Jason agreed, waiting patiently for Damian to formulate the rest of his report.

"I really only truly noticed last night, however, I believe this explanation would benefit the other nights too. See, often times, when I wake and Grayson is wandering the halls, he talks to me. I, at first, did not think this was odd as I was still waking. Yet, the talks continued and the topics are not ones that Grayson would usually ask of me. It, makes me uncomfortable. And I know Grayson would not ask these things were he his usual self, so the only conclusion is narcotics."

"Okay," Jason said again, he didn't want to drive Damian away. He didn't exactly believe him, but anything was possible these days. "So why did you call me? Bruce is around here more than me."

Damian twisted his mouth, the words looking like they took an effort to get out. "I have read about your past, and I know you associate with Harper. If anyone could confirm my suspicions quickly it would be you."

Obviously. "Sure," Jason said, knowing Damian would just get someone else to do it if not Jason. Like Bruce, and Jason may be distant, but even he didn't wish Bruce on anyone suspected of taking drugs. Dick got it from somewhere after all. Still, he felt like it was his duty to warn Damian, "You know, it might not be drugs. I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just suggesting that maybe these talks come from a different place than what you're thinking. Dick's dealing with a lot Damian, and sometimes people can do or say things they normally wouldn't while going through them. I know you like to think Dick's above all of that but he's not."

Damian tutted, a sheepish, "I am aware he is human Todd," said before he refocused. "But this is not that. I could excuse it if he were merely acting out. This, what he says, he would not ask me it if he were in his right mind."

Jason stopped himself from telling Damian Dick wasn't in his right mind, knowing it was useless. Instead, he focused on something else. "What exactly does he talk to you about Damian?" It must be a lot to make him uncomfortable, and not in the Damian feigning interest but secretly interested uncomfortable but the kind that had him red behind the ears. "Come on, you can tell me. If I'm going to go up against him I need all the info I can get."

"He... he tells me things, about you. And they are sometimes of a sexual nature. He has asked about Jon, and Colin, he... he has attempted to taint my view of them by suggesting I do not seek their company solely out of friendship. He has teased before, even Drake has, but this time, it did not feel like it did then." Damian stopped, his hands clenching slightly, "I do not think I can do what you have asked of me. To help Grayson sleep. He-"

"It's okay," Jason said, stopping the kid before he could work himself up. "It was a hard ask anyway. You just leave Dickie to me."

Damian nodded, steel coming back into his eyes, "You will do whatever is in your power to help Grayson, won't you Todd." It was phrased like a demand, yet Jason could hear the question amongst it.

"I'll try. I might not be successful, but I'll try."

That was enough for Damian. They didn't try and play at niceties or stem the tension with something else, instead, with their talk over, Damian walked out without another word.

Jason went back to Bruce and Ace, knowing for a fact Dick wasn't home. If he had been, the brat wouldn't have been too paranoid wondering where Dick was. He asked Bruce anyway, just in case, and was surprised to be told Dick was at a counsellor today.

"Good for him," Jason tried, drawing a smile on for incentive.

Bruce just hummed, no doubt seeing right through Jason, like he always had. But, thankfully, one of Bruce's qualities was that he nearly always never brought attention to Jason's moods, so the two of them were able to figure out how to hold Ace still while they brushed him in relative peace.

Tim came home before Dick, mumbling something about the Titans before flopping on the nearest flat surface. He didn't even squirm when Ace lathered him in spit, just lay there dead to the world.

"Not that it's any of my business, but you are keeping an eye on him right?"

Bruce grimaced, "He doesn't make it easy."

"That's never stopped you before."

Bruce hummed again, another topic he didn't feel like approaching today. Not that Jason minded, he had other things to focus on as well. Like snatching Ace away.

They played catch over the puppy's head for a while, up until the point when Ace figured out how to snatch the ball mid air that was. After that, Jason got the pleasure of watching Bruce attempt to pry away the ball from an overexcited dog. The fact it took him a good five minutes had Jason in stitches. Especially when Bruce tripped over Tim, that Jason wished he had filmed. 

It was the slamming of the door downstairs that eventually led to Ace's capture. One perky ear and wiggly nose and the ball was all but forgotten in favour of running for the stairs. Jason got him before he could suicide his way down, enduring the scratches and whines until he could put the puppy on his own two feet.

Dick already had his arms outstretched, his face less drawn than a few days ago as the puppy jumped into them. He was just as bad as Bruce against Ace's defences, his voice even pitching higher as he asked how Ace's day had been. Jason let it happen, he let Dick say his hello's and tell Bruce he wasn't going to be patrolling tonight, he even let him ask about dinner before asking if he would help Jason take Tim up to his room.

"Little guy tucker himself out huh?" Dick asked, taking upper body while Jason got his lower. Wouldn't want Jason to accidentally drop Tim after all, he could get a brain injury on these old floors.

"Something about a Titan's mission. I don't know, I don't listen to him."

"Urgh, Titan missions. Gotta say, I loved them at the time, but I have no idea how I did both Robin stuff here and over there at the same time. Pretty sure the crankiness from all the lack of sleep may have been three out of the five reasons I fought with Bruce when I came over."

Jason grunted, shouldering Tim's door open. He gave himself a mental pep talk as the two of them started battling their way around Tim's bedroom. It had somehow, and Jason didn't know how, got worse since the last time he'd seen it. As soon as they set Tim down Jason was out there like a shot, promising himself he'd have a talk with Bruce about a hoarder's intervention sometime in the near future. He got hives just thinking about poor Alfred having to look at that mess day after day, knowing in his heart it would never get better.

Dick joined him, closing the door softly behind him. "I think it's my turn to make dinner tonight. I might ask if I can make it a bit later so Tim can-" he stumbled against the door, Jason shaking his wrist slightly to get rid of the tension. "Jay?" Dick breathed, his eyes wide as he slowly crept into a defensive stance. "Jay it's me okay? I swear, I have the scars to-"

"I know it's you," Jason hissed.

Dick straightened, his defences down, "You do?"

He nodded.

"Then why-?"

"Because it's you I want to freaking punch alright?" He actually hadn't meant to follow through with the punch. Really, the plan had been to talk to him like he had the other night, lead the conversation in a way that Jason could maybe understand. Looked like his anger had got the best of him. "I can't believe you."

"Me?" The outrage was gone in an instant, in its place an acceptance that Jason also didn't want to see on Dick's face. He knew what was going on in Dick's head, he was starting to blame himself, to see this as his justice for hurting Jason.

"Not about that you idiot." He grabbed Dick's arm, leading him into a spare bedroom. One that would give them at least a few moments of privacy before Bruce barged in should this turn even more violent. He didn't know, the way he was feeling right now anything was possible. "What the hell are you playing at? Telling Damian all that stuff about me? You know what, it's not even about that, I'm actually used to you people talking about me. But Damian? Seriously Dick, he's a kid. He might not sound like one but the fact he keeps coming to me because he doesn't want to deal with you makes it pretty clear he is."

The confusion was back. "Jay, what are you talking about?"

"That stuff you keep talking to Damian about."

"What stuff?"

"The-" Damn, he should have asked more about it. "The stuff about Colin and Jon. He said you're twisting how he thinks of them. You're making him uncomfortable, which, in Damian speak, means he's freaking terrified. He asked me to make sure you weren't on drugs."

"Drugs! Why would he-? I haven't been that bad. Not in front of Damian at least."

"Then how do you explain what he told me? He's not lying I'll tell you that. Damian's a lot of things but he isn't a liar."

"What things? Jay, what are you talking about?"

"You," Jason shouted, huffing as he tried again. "Look Dick, I don't think you should be around Damian. Not late at night at least. I don't know if it's the time or your face but something is creeping him out. He's probably just worried, but we both know Damian doesn't know how to cope with this kind of thing. I'm not trying to be cruel or take over or whatever, but if Damian is coming to me, not Bruce, me, about this kind of thing, twice now, I think you know it's time to start setting some new boundaries."

Dick stood there, stunned for a few minutes. "I'm not on drugs," he said at last.

"I know," Jason agreed. "You're shit at hiding your cereal, drugs would have been found days ago if you were."

"I didn't-" Dick tried again, "I don't remember talking to him about stuff like that Jay. Definitely not stuff about you. Damian doesn't need to know that."

"Well you did."

"I don't -" He sighed, "He really came to you again?"

"He's super worried."

Eventually, Dick nodded, the two of them walking silently out of the room. Jason could only hope his words had garnered some change, otherwise, next time, he was leaving it to Bruce. Jason wasn't cut out for all of this. He had his own issues to deal with.


	5. Chapter 5

Jason was flying through the air chasing down a fleeting figure. They were good, they knew what they were doing, but, unfortunately for him  he hadn't grown up on the bedrock of Gotham. 

Jason took a sharp left, skipping three big rooftops the other would have to pass, and dove to a gargoyle that he knew he could swing his weight off. Three more rooves, mind the loose shingle, and Jason was waiting, weapons raised as Red Robin skidded to a stop in front of him.

"Nice try kid," Jason said.

"No, no!" Tim groaned, "I studied the maps. I studied them. There is no way you could have caught up to me."

"Well I did," He made a shooting sound with his mouth, holstering his gun, "And now you're dead."

"I want a rematch."

Jason pretended to think about it. "Fine. But, only if you persuade Bruce to let me kidnap Ace for a few hours."

"Why?" And the fact Tim looked like Jason would actually hurt Ace made him put the price up to one of Damian's cookies as well. He'd heard they were quite nice. Thankfully, Tim was feeling the embarrassment of being beaten by Jason so he agreed.

They were out until four, Jason finding Tim power napping between chases on a vent finally making him call it a night. He basically dragged the runt back to the cave, and wasn't really surprised when the rest of the bat clan, well, Steph and Babs, accused him of some misdeed. To be fair on them Jason did have Tim slung over his shoulder like a prize buck.

Jason hung around long enough to inform Bruce of his need of Ace and to steal a few batarangs before he was back on his bike heading back to his crappy crappy home.

Knocking woke him. It was eerily similar to the morning they got Ace, yet, when Jason opened the door Alfred and Bruce were on the other side with a wiggly dog attacking Bruce's sleeve. 

"You said you wanted him," Bruce said in lue of a greeting, letting himself in before Ace could wrench himself free.

Jason helped Alfred to the only comfy chair he owned. "Yeah, I did, but I meant I would come get him myself."

"And you would drive him on that bike of yours how?"

Okay, point. "Still could have called ahead. It is polite you know," he said, getting an approving look from Alfred for it. No doubt Bruce had been told the exact same thing on the ride over.

Yet it was Alfred himself that said, "I'm afraid Master Jason the situation this morning meant this situation was the most plausible."

The situation being that Bruce looked like he was dropping off more than Ace. "Wait, Alfred's staying? Not that I don't love you. I do." But it was never a good thing when Alfred was removed from a situation.

"I know this is a big ask Master Jason."

"No, Alfred, I don't mind. Really, just, what happened?"

They shared a look like Jason was thirteen not a full grown man. "There's been an incident," Bruce said. "Someone moved Alfred's crutches and put them just behind his door."

God. "Are you okay?" Jason asked, immediately looking for any bumps or bruises that hadn't been there last night.

"Quite Master Jason. Merely a tad unsettled, but reasonably sound all the same."

He took Alfred's word for it, especially when Bruce nodded just out of Alfred's view. He felt the anger rising as Bruce left. Someone had went into Alfred's room. The one room that was off limits to them because it was Alfred's private space. They had went in and messed with his property. Worse, they had took his crutches and put them behind his door. He would have had to make his way over to the door without help, potentially hurting his foor more. He could have fell and-

 "You know who?"

Bruce and Alfred shook their heads. "No clue," Bruce said, "Which is why I'm letting them stew for a while before I start investigating." Jason could say a lot about Bruce, but his sense of justice always overruled his kids. Whoever had done this was going to be found out , and this time Jason was all for it.

"Make sure you're thorough," Jason said, showing Bruce out.

Jason didn't think he had ever had Alfred around his apartment before. He felt a bit like he had with Clark, knowing his apartment was run down to put it lightly, but defensive all the same. Unlike Clark however, there was no sense of awkward unease. Alfred even complimented him, claiming it was one of the best kept dwellings he'd been in relating to the family. Considering the other contenders were Tim and Dick he knew Alfred wasn't kidding.

He made sure Alfred was comfortable, almost wishing Ace wasn't there so he could take Alfred out for breakfast or lunch, whatever time of day it was. But Ace was there, and Jason had asked for the puppy for a reason. Well, there was a reason, but Jason couldn't very well do that now Alfred was here.

He dug out some dog toys he was going to slowly bring over the manor and let Ace have at it. He also dug out the collar he'd got Ace with the little diamond tag. He saw Alfred smother a smile as he tried it on the puppy.

Really, there wasn't much for them to do. Jason didn't even have a TV to keep Alfred company since Roy had trashed the last one. It took a while for Jason to just relax and not fret. Alfred didn't expect anything from him, he just needed a place to relax for a while. 

They ended up planning that intervention for Tim, Alfred pleased to, finally, have someone see it his way. "Damian hates it too," Jason said. "He looked green just thinking of cleaning it."

Speaking of Damian, Jason learnt something he didn't think he would about the boy. Apparently, while Alfred had been laid up and Jason nowhere to be seen, it was Damian who picked up most of the slack. "You were a good influence on him Master Jason. I don't think I've heard him complain once when I caught him dusting the lower floors." 

Jason was surprised, but he wasn't at the same time. It must have been prolonged exposure to Damian, but Jason could see why Dick didn't deem him a lost cause. Damian cared, he just had a warped way of showing it. Jason could see why, what with his upbringing, but he knew also being around Bruce wasn't doing him any favours in the emotion department. 

 "At least someone is looking out for you Alfie." Since Jason didn't think he had heard any special mention from the others since Alfred hurt his leg. Dick, maybe, but Dick had other things to do than stay at the manor all day. Last Jason heard he was hunting for a job in a gym downtown. But Tim and Cass, well, those two Jason knew had nothing before or after school. He wasn't asking for much, maybe just the dishes done or a quick vaccum. Things that they should have been doing anyway if Bruce had still been as insistent about chores when Jason was a kid. "I'll try and come around a bit more anyway."

"Nonesense Master Jason," Alfred said, "When you come over you do so as a guest. Leave the hard labour to those who make it."

Yet Jason knew they wouldn't so he still mentally made plans around his gang busting to come over and help out. 

They moved on to other things, like Cass' new idea to convert the third ballroom into a dance studio. It was easy, reminiscent of his days at the manor, so when Alfred asked why Jason had wanted Ace around he answered.

"I've not been sleeping well. This old place creaks worse than the manor. Thought having Ace around would help soothe me a bit so I could get a nap."

"You do look a bit peaky," Alfred agreed. "You know, the Penthouse is always available to you Jason. Being tough can only get you so far, sooner or later you are going to burn out and it won't be somewhere pleasant."

He felt a weight settle. Jason had known that. He was run down to begin with, these days he was barely functioning. There was a reason Bruce didn't let them out if they were ill or injured. If they were so run down they couldn't think properly they had no reason to be facing down criminals. All it took was one mistake, and those were usually made when they were in peak health.

"I don't know what to do," Jason said at last. 

"Why don't you start with how you are. You say you're fine, but I remember the boy who always lied when he said he was just fine. Really Master Jason, for me, how are you?"

"Terrified," slipped out. "Tired because I'm terrified and terrified because I'm tired. It's so hard to fall asleep sometimes."

"I would expect nothing less. You went through an ordeal Master Jason."

He spared a smile. With Alfred there was no judgement, and if there was Jason could never tell past that polite front he always wore. It took a lot to piss Alfred Pennyworth off. "I thought if Ace was here he would tell me if something was wrong. The cat did, and I thought since Ace was so new that when something seemed off he would do something."

"A smart move. They say animals have keener senses than humans. Especially pertaining the supernatural."

"I know. It was the first thing I looked up when I got here. I actually thought about getting a cat, but, like cats don't like moving and if I have to skip apartments 'cause I pissed Bruce off it's not likely to follow without a fight. Then I thought about getting a dog, but I'm never in and- yeah. Ace was like my only option. At least for a few hours."

"I'm sure Master Bruce will be pleased to let you babysit the puppy if you ask. However, might I suggest you try finding what really keeps you up at night. It may make you feel at ease if you can isolate the noise that sets you on edge."

Jason thought on it. He tried to remember what it was in his bed that made him scared. "The pipes," he said. "It sounds like someone's moving around the room. "My bookshelf." Sometimes at night when he woke up and it was dark in his room, the black mass that was his bookshelf would sometimes warp into a human shadow. "The window." It never really shut, and if he was laying down sometimes the wind would feel like breath on his skin. "I guess, it's just the fact it happens when I know I'm alone. If someone was here I don't think I would have much trouble. That and... I guess, being tired, it makes me wonder sometimes if he's still around."

He waited for Alfred to say something, to tell him to come to the manor or go see someone about his paranoia. Alfred did none of that, just stayed silent until Jason calmed himself down again.

"I'm afraid there is nothing I can do about the pipes. However," He got his crutches and stood, "The window and bookcase we can sort out."

They started with the bookcase, changing Jason's bedroom around until it was no longer looming like an ominous figure in the dark. They moved his bed too so it wasn't in the window's direction. What followed is only what Jason could describe as some kind of legend come to life. Jason had been aware of Alfred's past, or, what Alfred had told him about it anyway. But it was impressive seeing the man in action as he leant against the frame, a chair keeping his leg off the ground and an oil cloth trying to worm its way through the cracks of Jason's frame.

Between the two of them, and Ace helpfully rolling around on Jason's bed, they managed to fix Jason's window better than ever by the time Bruce turned up again.

Bruce looked frazzled. No doubt the kids back at the manor hadn't made things easy on him by owning up. He got Ace first, his frown melting slightly as he looked at al the toys Jason had been keeping away from the manor.

"You are going to end up very spoilt," Bruce told Ace, his eyes finding the collar as he held the puppy up. "It's a bit Harley Quinnish," Bruce observed.

"Don't worry, I only got it for when he's with me. God knows what you would get him."

Bruce shook his head, "I like it. We should see if we can the rest of the suits as tags." 

"Who was it?" Jason asked, tiring of the small talk.

"Don't know."

Jason was expecting Bruce to burst out in hives any minute now. He hated not knowing. "Wasn't there evidence? Finger prints. Cameras. A dusty footprint."

Bruce shook his head. "I suspect it was a fault on my part not collecting the evidence as soon as I found Alfred." 

"Wait, you came straight here?"

Bruce floundered for a moment, "I panicked."

Jason got it. He would have panicked too. Especially how soon this happened to the last incident. "Okay. So, back ups. Or I don't know, grill them until someone confesses."

"Believe me, I did Jay."

"Well not hard enough if they still haven't owned up."

"If you know so much why don't you tell me what happened Jason."

There would have been a full out brawl had Alfred not wobbled in, snapping at both of them to keep their indoor voices. "Now, as much as I would love to have Master Jason around, I do not want him in a toxic enviroment. Master Bruce, perhaps we should consider an alternative way to find out the truth. One that does not have you fighting with your one innocent child. In any case, it's late and Master Damian will be attempting to make dinner for five. Unless I supervise him I fear we will be returning to a burnt down kitchen. Again."

Jason kept his goodbyes to himself as Alfred and Bruce walked out. He was half tempted to try and steal Ace before they went out of sight but, Ace probably wanted his dinner too, and Jason didn't exactly have any puppy food lying around.

He sulked the rest of the day away cleaning his guns, and when he went out that night the gang he cornered selling drugs spread the news not to cross Red Hood's path any time soon.

One good thing came from today, that being that when Jason went to sleep, it was only the pipes that kept him awake. He found himself drifting rather than flat out avoiding sleep.

When he got up in the morning, he was tired, but not as irritated at himself as he usually was.


	6. Chapter 6

Three nights of alright sleep and Jason was back on top form. If the criminals he dealt with before were scared when he was pissed, they were outright terrified now he'd shrunk back into the dark. He'd heard a few of them talking the other night, wondering where he was, if he was still brutalising gangs and if he would be coming to their doorstep tonight. He didn't, simply because he had his wits about him and figured out keeping this gang active for a little longer would mean they would lead him right to the new gun shipment which should have started being sold by now.

He also had enough energy through the day to do things he'd been putting off. Like laundry. Unlike those princes back in Wayne Manor, and Cass who, well, Jason didn't know what she did through the day, but Jason had to do his own laundry. That meant hauling himself out of bed at God awful clock in the morning and running a bag bigger than himself to the fourth floor. Then, all bets were off. He'd had more than one fight with the woman in the apartment below him more times than he could count for the good dryer. That wasn't even taking into account the family down the hall from him, seven kids between them meant that they could trickle down at any hour of the day or night, and there was really no arguing with a seven year old. 

It turned out it was none of those people that were his adversary today. The teenage boy from the top floor, the one Jason was half sure was a mediocre pimp, had managed to snag his washer. He had to wait a whole hour, guarding the doorway like a hound in case someone else tried to push between him and his machine. It had happened before, he wasn't going to let it happen today.

He stood there for an hour, waiting painstakingly as the washer slowly crawled to a stop. Never had he been so happy, he could practically feel the heavens opening, and then the stupid kid dumped another load in.

"What?" Jason piped. "But, you're done."

The kid nodded over to three baskets full of clothes that were definitely not his own. "Sorry man."

He did the math in his head, biting back a scream as he considered the other washers. One was already in use, and since this was a cheap apartment block, there was only one left. The one Jason refused to use even if he had a gun to his head. For some reason, and he didn't know how, clothes got dirtier coming out than they did coming in.

He hauled his stuff back upstairs, moving on to the rest of his mundane tasks. He vaccumed, took his new shirt back because it was too small for him. He even got groceries, and if he was imagining horrible things happening to that teen while he did so, well, no one had to know. 

He was comparing the flours, wondering if he would be bothered to make pancakes in the morning or go straight to the cereal when someone tapped him on the back. It went to show how well rested he was that he only tensed as he looked to see who it was. No jumps, no attacks, he just tensed and turned.

Didn't mean that he didn't have something to say when he came face to face with Dick. "Seriously? Are my nerves a joke to you?"

Dick had the presence of mind to look sheepish. He took his hand back, stuffing it with the other in his hoodie. "Sorry."

Jason grabbed the flour, looking for the next thing on his list. He felt Dick following him like a shadow, as he grabbed bread and some sugar.

"I'm making dinner tonight," Dick said. "Thought I would come get some ingredients, try and make something special."

Liar. The both of them knew Alfred would never come to this grocery store and he would definitely not recommend Dick to come here either. For one, it was too out of the manor's way, and two, it was in a part of Gotham Alfred should never have to step foot in. Dick knew this, Dick lived this too since Jason knew all the grocery stores he frequented as well. It was just one of the things they knew about everyone in their family. It helped them avoid each other. Dick coming here, he was looking for Jason, and no talk of dinner would make Jason think otherwise.

They walked over to the fruit, Jason tossing a few apples into his cart. He watched in the small security mirror as Dick fidgeted behind him. The silence was getting to Dick, as it always did. Eventually, "Okay, so I came to see you."

Jason turned, handing the cart over. "Knew it." Without it slowing him down Jason mapped out the rest of his food. "So, did you do it?"

"Do what?" Dick asked, already slumped over the handles like a kid. If Jason let him, he knew Dick would be sliding down the isles. He was almost tempted to tell him to have at it, and usually Jason would be right behind him.

But there was still a matter that needed to be settled. "Alfred. Did you do it?"

"No," Dick said. "Actually, Damian did."

He turned, reading the sincerity in Dick's face. There was guilt there, hiding in the twist of his lips, along with a silent promise not to tell Bruce. "You better have a damn good reason for not owning up."

"I do," Dick agreed, pushing the cart more easily. He seemed to have a lot of faith in Jason. "Look, Dami kind of got hurt on patrol. Only thing is, he has that thing with Bruce going on and now since he's not talking to me I didn't know about it. But, apparently, he stole the crutches when Alfred went to sleep. He had this big meetup with Jon or something and knew he wouldn't make it on foot without some kind of help. He was going to put them back but Bruce was looking for him so he just dumped them on Alfred's doorway and hoped for the best."

Jason felt some of the anger leave him. Some of it. "He could have fell."

"I know. I told him that when we were wiping the footage. He feels terrible."

Jason hummed. It was good that it wasn't intentional, it meant no one actually had it out for Alfred. He could understand Damian too. God knows Jason probably would have done the same thing now he thought on it. If Jason had gotten hurt on patrol, and not deemed it bad enough to tell Bruce in fear of being benched he knew he couldn't very well steal the crutches from the cave for his meet up. Bruce had them tagged, like, actually alarmed and tagged. He said it was so he would know when mischievous Robin's tried walking unsupervised out of the manor. To be fair on Bruce, when Jason had been a kid he definitely had tried sneaking out on a broken leg more than once. He knew Dick had too.

"Why didn't you tell Bruce? He probably would have- okay, I get it," Jason amended. Damian, if he had owned up, would have had to sit through more than one rant on responsibility. He probably would have still been sitting through it. "He tell you what the meet was about?"

Dick shook his head, "Like I said, he's not talking to me a lot these days."

Jason threw a few more things into his cart, some of Dick's favourites too since he knew part of the reason Dick was here was to free-load off him. "Bruce still pissed?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," Dick agreed. "The only reason he let me out is because I'm an adult. If I was below eighteen you better bet I would be trapped in that manor right now."

"Poor kids," Jason said.

Dick hummed in agreement, Jason not missing the ice cream that magically appeared. 

"So, why are you really here?" Since Dick couldn't cook for his life and Jason knew his idea of getting food in for the family was picking up a pizza. 

The cart nudged into his back, "To see you. I miss you Jay."

"You miss my cooking," Jason corrected.

Dick huffed out a chuckle, nudging him again with his cart. "Okay, yes. But, I do miss you."

"And..."

It took a minute, but Dick eventually said, "And, my therapist said it was a good idea for me to start figuring out where my triggers are."

"Let me guess, one of those triggers is me?" He knew Dick was a trigger for him. It wasn't really all that bad, especially once Jason made sure that scar was still on his neck, but the time before his eyes zeroed in, Dick scared the living hell out of him.

"Yeah." 

They got through the rest of Jason's list in silence. He ended up throwing more food in than he intended to buy, figuring he may as well cook around the manor. It would save him having to eat alone, not the mention they had an oven that didn't need to be checked every half hour that it hadn't turned itself off. They also had a working washing machine and dryer.

"You come in your car or bike?" Jason asked as he paid.

"Car. Figured the excuse I was getting food would be more plausible if I had trunk room."

He had Dick follow him back, and between the two of them in Dick's car they separated Jason's food from dinners. He didn't invite Dick up. Jason didn't think he could. He knew it was Dick. He knew it, but Jason didn't know how he would react to have Dick in his apartment just yet. That was where the demon had first cornered him. That was when Jason didn't even know there was a difference. So he told Dick to stay in the car on the pretence that someone might jack his tires, which, in this neighbourhood, wasn't that unbelievable.

He grabbed his laundry, his phone too since he'd realised he'd taken a severe lack of photos with Ace and found Dick clutching his steering wheel when he got back down.

"Problem?" 

Dick nodded to a group of teens standing on a corner. "You're Nightwing," Jason said, even if he could recognise the look in one of their eyes as they looked up and down Dick's fancy car. 

Jason thought about making a show of putting his belt on, maybe take his time loading his laundry in the back. Yet, as soon as he parked his butt down Dick sped off. Jason held on for dear life the whole ride since Dick didn't drop his speed until he got to the manor's gates. 

Tim was waiting for them at the door, breathing the fresh air with a jealous scowl on his face. Jason tossed his laundry at him, watching with glee as the sack knocked Tim down. He heard Dick let out a chuckle too as the two of them took custody of a few bags and carried them over the struggling kid. 

Jason could practically taste the disdain in the air as he stepped through the halls. Three days was a long time to keep people cooped up, and if Bruce was really pissed Jason knew patrol had probably been off the cards as well. So, no outside contact, no patrol, probably no cave to spar in, Jason was frankly surprised Tim was still alive.

There was a tinkling and then Ace was tottering over to Jason, a lovely little gold collar around his neck. He noted with a bit of humour the spade proudly sporting Ace's name, it looked like Bruce had found the rest of the decks. "You miss me Acey?" Jason cooed, picking the happy puppy up. "I know I missed you."

He let the dog join him in the kitchen, noting the new bowls next to Alfred's. Ace had his own engraved china now. If Jason hadn't heard Steph and Cass ordering it he would have thought Bruce had went more overboard than first suspected.

News must have spread via Tim that Jason was here since it wasn't long before he had the whole family watching him make their food. Of course, he wasn't going to stand just being looked at like a zoo animal for an hour, so he told Bruce there was some laundry he could attend to and had Damian come play sou chef with him. The other two, Jason just had to wait a few minutes before Bruce came back in hunting for either instructions or some help. He prayed when the three of them went to figure it out that Jason wouldn't be facing down helping pick out a new washer by the end of the night. This was already not what he planned to do today, he didn't want another reason to make it off course.

Damian was quiet beside him, Dick not kidding when he said Damian felt bad about Alfred. He could barely lift his head, a complete change to the boy that had come to the manor looking for his rightful inheritance. "You know," Jason said, not knowing why he was getting involved, "I think Bruce would admire your honesty more than finding out on his own. If you just explain he might not be as angry as you think."

Damian shot him a look, and yeah, Jason could hear the lies in his voice.

So he tried again, "At least you would be allowed out on patrol. You know your dad isn't going to cave Damian. If someone doesn't come forth you're gonna be here until you're eighteen."

Damian huffed, the next chop to the carrot almost splintering the wood underneath. "I can not believe Grayson told you."

"He told me because he knows I'm not gonna snitch. But you know what, the worst you're gonna get is a few hours of anger and then Bruce is going to forgive you. It's not like you did it on purpose. And no one got hurt. Really, what's bugging him now is not knowing why it happened."

Damian kept his head down, but Jason could see his words having a little effect. Damian was thinking about it, and that was what mattered. For the time being however, Jason just gave him as many vegetables as he could to chop.

Jason got Alfred when everything was ready, not taking no for an answer as he sat the man down with the rest of the family. It wasn't anything special, just vegetarian chilli, but since Alfred was still swayed from cooking by his leg, Jason was betting it was the best thing this family had ate in a while. Especially with how fast it was gone. He saw Cass scooping the dregs from the bottom, the others watching mournfully as it disappeared. 

He delegated Tim and Cass to clean up since he had to check on his laundry, and maybe play with Ace afterwards. They went, at least, whether they actually cleaned up Jason would just have to hope. 

He ended up in Ace's playroom, Damian hovering like a helicopter parent as Jason hunted for some squeaky toys to play with. Really, he spent a good hour there before Damian kicked him out for being so 'rough' with his baby. Jason just thought Damian was bitter about what Jason had said to him. 

He didn't care, there were other things to do in the manor while he waited for the dryer to finish. Like, sneak down to the cave. As the angel he was, Jason wasn't on Bruce's naughty list, which meant, that when he tried the grandfather clock, there wasn't a bodyguard telling him to go back down and play with his siblings. 

He stole a few more batarangs and a grapple gun, leaving a quick note in the inventory that they were being put to a good cause terrorizing bad guys. Hiding them in his laundry bag, he went on the hunt for a few books. 

Dick was the one who found him again, Jason kind of expecting it. He'd been tailing Jason all evening, popping into the kitchen or sitting next to him at dinner. Jason knew that Dick was working through that whole trigger thing, trying to figure out what exactly about Jason caused him to freak out. 

He made room on the couch, not really surprised when Dick took a bit more initiative than he should and flopped onto Jason's legs. He still looked exhausted, which made Jason wonder if patrol was another thing Bruce couldn't take away from Dick now he was an adult. If it wasn't that was a shame, Dick probably could have used that rest. 

"Scars," Jason said.

"What?"

"My trigger with you. When I don't see your scars, especially the one on your neck, it makes me think you're him."

Dick fingered the lines on his neck, old and new. "What about my personality? You can't tell us apart there?"

Jason shrugged, debating how to best word it before deciding just to tell the truth. "I can, but there was a time, in the beginning, when I thought he was you. Besides, when I first see you I don't see your personality."

"Point," Dick admitted. 

"What about me? You know yet?"

Dick squinted, tilting his head back so he could do a quick sweep of Jason. "No. I don't know. I can't pin point it, just, when I look at you there's just something that reminds me of it. Of-"

"Of?" Jason prompted.

"Nothing."

Jason wasn't stupid. He'd been trained to read people and Dick had just brushed off Jason way too fast for that to be nothing. Jason took in the rest of him, the forced relaxed pose, the eye contact, Dick was trying not to show there was anything wrong, which, to someone who knew the tells because Bruce had taught him too, just told Jason that Dick was hiding something. 

Jason considered for a moment whether he wanted to delve into Dick's dark secret tonight. He really did have to get back home after his laundry was done, or maybe just go straight from the cave to the docks- he knew Bruce wasn't out of bikes to lend him, or suits last Jason checked the display cases. If he went into whatever that nothing was Dick might have him here all night. But, it was probably an important nothing. Maybe something that could help Jason get a better understanding on how he could help Dick. It could, just as much as it couldn't. 

The risk was too great to make tonight. Mostly because Jason seriously needed to get to this deal. So he let it go and went on to something else. "Well, I know I have a thing with people being bigger than me. I know for a fact this one is a product of my dad. He used to loom, you know, like Bruce, but I wasn't Robin beside him I was the criminal underneath his boot."

Dick looked surprised but not shocked. if anything, that reaction affirmed a few things for him, that Dick and, at least, Alfred, knew about his dad beating him. They knew about the drugs too, but, that was mostly common knowledge in this house. He wondered, vaguely, what else Bruce had told them about, if, should Jason look, it would be in his file. 

"It's not your height," Dick said at last. "If anything that's soothing. Makes me feel better that you're big like Bruce."

"Proximity?" Jason guessed, bouncing his legs a few times to shift Dick about. 

He got a glare that slowly melted off. "Maybe," Dick agreed. "I mean," He sat up looking at his hands, "I can't touch people. Not like I used to. I kinda thought that would fade like- but maybe it is touch."

"Still doesn't mean it's specific to me," Jason said, busting Dick's bubble. "Could be that, you're never comfortable around me again."

Dick sighed, leaning on his knees, "It's not that I'm not comfortable with you Jay. I am, you're probably the one I'm most comfortable with these days. It's that I don't trust myself."

"Then maybe it's not raping me that's actually messing with your head. Maybe this has been a long time coming. I mean, you've never really stopped Dick. You've always done what you were comfortable with, and take it from me that is not healthy. Maybe, this trauma is your minds way of telling you to take a break. Relax. I mean, how long was it after the... thing was gone did you put your mask back on?" From the way Dick grimaced it wasn't long. "Bruce was is quite a terrible dad, but the one thing he did do right was make us take breaks when we weren't feeling up to bat. I'm not saying give up, just, I don't know, take a week off, go on holiday, be comfortable being you and maybe you can start trusting yourself again."

"Are you comfortable being you?" Dick asked.

Jason had didn't have to think about it before saying, "Yeah, I am." Yeah, his life was crappy. He'd died, he'd come back, he'd killed, he'd been the victim of a demon for the better half of who knew how long, but Jason liked his life. He liked that he was strong enough to say no to Bruce, to say no to the entire world even. He liked that he'd found his own path, and even when he screwed up badly, he liked that he trusted himself enough to know how to get himself out of a situation. Whether that be to wait for rescue or even just say goodbye to it all and accept his fate. Jason liked himself, all of himself, even the bits that drove everyone mad. 

"I'll think about it," Dick said at last.

"Good." Jason checked his watch, tossing his book to Dick as he did. "Well, I have an arms deal I have to get to. Think Bruce will let me take the batmobile if I ask nicely?"

"No chance."

Jason asked anyway.


	7. Chapter 7

Jason wondered what three deja vu's were called. Was it just deja vu again or did the dictionary have a word for it. As the banging on his door continued he stopped thinking down that trail of thought and started along the pros of having a sound proof door.

"There had better be a damn good reason why you're here," he said, not feeling the slightest bit reproachful when he came face to face with Bruce. "Is this about the grappling hook?"

Whatever rage had filled Bruce's face fell the longer he stood on Jason's door. At the minute mark, the anger had fled completely to be leave gut wrenching guilt in its place.

"What?" Jason asked, starting to get a bit freaked out. "Look, if this is about some way Tim got hurt, just know I've been in all night. My arms deal needed a bit of paperwork organisation, so..."

"You're not staying here," Bruce said. 

It was the first thing Bruce had said since coming here, and spoken so quietly Jason was half sure he had misheard. But Bruce Wayne did not kid around, and almost as soon as he regained the ability to speak he was in Jason's apartment picking apart the first thing he could get his hands on.

"Bruce what the hell." He tried to pry Bruce off, even succeeded, but Bruce just went on to something else. "Bruce no. This is my place. We had a deal."

"One I never agreed to. You are coming home and that's that."

"Bruce-"

"No argument!" It wasn't the first time Bruce had raised his voice, but the times he had Jason was barely able to count on one hand. Usually, Bruce had an aura around him that meant he didn't have to shout, he could just hold up a hand or raise his voice just that little bit louder. But this, right here, Bruce was furious, beyond furious, and Jason felt all of twelve years old again as he stood there trying to get the echo out of his ears. 

By the time he'd managed to drag himself from the shock Bruce had dug out a duffel and suitcase and had filled a good portion of both.

"This isn't fair," Jason said quietly, hoping slightly that Bruce wouldn't hear him. That he wouldn't yell again. "I haven't done anything wrong. I haven't killed anyone in months. This isn't fair."

Bruce didn't answer him, just put another pile of books into his bag. 

Jason ended up sulking on his couch, swallowing comments and criticisms as Bruce was none too gentle with his stuff. He didn't dare help however. Bruce was the one who wanted to shift him against Jason's will so Bruce could damn well pack on his own. Which included Jason's guns. He knew he shouldn't take pleasure from watching Bruce none too hesitantly handle his guns but Jason was miserable and about to be dragged back to hell, so he thought he had some right to find happiness where he could.

It took three hours before Bruce and Jason were in a car driving back to the manor. He had made his last stand before they left, demanding Bruce just listen to him, and was hauled over Bruce's shoulder like luggage for his efforts.

He didn't talk to Bruce the whole ride back. Nor did Bruce try and talk to him. There was no attempt to placate him, or even explain why Jason had to move back. There was nothing but silence, so silence was what Jason give back.

Alfred was waiting for them at the front door, hugging Jason awkwardly around his crutches as he led him in. They left Bruce with Jason's stuff, Alfred taking him outside of all places where a set up Jason had last seen in a dream greeted him. There were cupcakes of all colours in the middle, lemonade in pristine china tea cups and cookies the size of Jason's head on two plates.

"Okay. Who died?" Since there was no other reason Jason could think of for why Bruce was going crazy and Alfred was buttering him up. "You had better not have made these Alfie. I mean it. Just because the rest of them are lax with your leg doesn't mean I am."

"Master Damian made them actually. I asked him for his help last night." Alfred settled awkwardly in his seat, Jason taking the one opposite with gusto. If he was going to hear bad news this was the best set up to give it to him. He dipped a bit of his cookie in the icing dips to the left. It was surprisingly good, proving, once again, Damian was lucky to skip some of Bruce's genes. "And no, thankfully, no one is dead."

"Then what's with the move? I thought..." He thought him and Bruce were actually alright. That they understood even if they didn't approve of each other's values. That Bruce was going to let him do his thing so long as he stayed on his own side of town. He thought that whole thing with a demon had finally showed Bruce that Jason was Jason, he was still the boy he took in. He thought a lot of things that were now being questioned. "Alfie, what's going on? Why am I here?"

Alfred sipped his lemonade, a tactic to build up some kind of buffer, which just showed Jason wasn't going to get any real answers here. If Alfred was in cahoots, after all, the others most definitely was. The lemonade was set down. "Master Jason, has it ever occurred to you that your father is just worried."

"He's been worried for years and he still hasn't still pulled a stunt like this," Jason pointed out. Even when Jason had Tim at gunpoint Bruce had done nothing more than let him be, after he gave Tim back that was.

"Well, perhaps things have escalated to a point where Master Bruce thinks it best to intervene. Master Dick has barely been to his own home since this fiasco began, is it so hard to believe that Master Bruce believes this is the only way to help you too?"

"Yes, since you and I both know I don't want nor need help."

A strange expression flew across Alfred's face, pity Jason guessed, but something told him it was a bit darker than that. "I would merely humour him for now. You know there is no negotiating with Master Bruce while he is in this mood."

So far, that was the only sound advice Alfred had given.

They finished their tea party on a better note than they began on. Alfred did his best to steer him away from asking about Bruce further, instead, he turned Jason onto other people. Like Damian. Alfred wanted Jason to persuade Damian to take more of an interest in the kitchen. Not because Alfred hated cooking for him, but Jason had been much like Damian when he first came to the manor. Fussy and hesitant to try anything unfamiliar. It was only when Alfred had given him lessons that Jason broadened his palette. He was a kid that didn't like to waste food, and if he had made it himself and knew exactly what had went in he was more interested to try it. Damian being a vegetarian Jason bet he was fussy. He bet Damian didn't trust Alfred one bit not to put some meat in his food. But, if he made it himself, or even just had an interest in helping it would probably help the kid regain some of his missing iron and vitamins without suppliments.

There was also the crutches incident that Alfred distracted him with. Damian did indeed own up, and when he explained Bruce didn't even punish him. He'd spent the last few nights having his leg looked at, and even given the special crutches from the cave so he wouldn't have to steal Alfred's.

Cass had went to Tokyo again. The trouble there was really starting to stir up. There had been League sightings along with Lady Shiva which never spelled anything good. Tim had went with her, the Titans too in case this something big was too much for even Cass.

Dick, true to form, was still hanging around the manor. More of his stuff had started appearing in the manor. Alfred had even found Dick's flashy sparkly workout clothes on one of the bars in the gym. Dick only brought them around when he was planning to nest in one place for a while. Alfred was pleased, he didn't like Dick living so far away, mostly because Dick tended not to check in for months some time. He also liked having Dick close to keep an eye on him. 

"He hasn't been sleeping well. Master Bruce said he heard him roaming the halls again this morning. I don't think I can remember a day where someone hasn't said somethig similar recently."

"Do you know where he goes? He could be sleepwalking."

"He could be, " Alfred agreed. "Unfortunately, I dodon't think anyone has had the mind to follow him yet. There has been a lot at the manor these days." 

Not least being Ace, who had been held hostage in Damian's room the whole time Jason was with Alfred. Now, with Damian on the hunt for food, the two of them were watching like creepy dolls from the window. 

Jason grabbed Ace before the puppy could escape, putting his whimpering butt back inside as Damian squeezed between Jason's bulk. He settled himself on the patio since Damian claimed his chair, not even that bothered that Damian was interrupting them. The way he saw it this tea party had already been tainted by Bruce.

"Father informs me you will me moving back in with us," Damian started, straight to the point as always.

"Trust me kid, I didn't want this anymore than you did. I didn't even suggest it. In fact, if I had my way I would be back at my apartment now making breakfast." 

Damian didn't demand Jason fight harder or just leave. Instead, he poured himself some lemonade, twisted his face at the taste and said, "It might not be a horrible idea if you stayed for a while."

"This whole family has gone mad."

He stuck around long enough to teach Damian the delights of dipping cookies in icing before going to find where Bruce had dumped his stuff. It wasn't in his old room, thank God. Jason would have walked out damn what Bruce said if he had made him move back into his old room. No, Bruce had chosen one of the more spacious rooms on the third floor. As far as Jason knew these bedrooms were only used when the manor was really overflowing with guests. There were only five on this floor, all of them like mini apartments themselves which was probably why Bruce had put him up here. His own way of giving Jason space without giving him space.

His clothes were already hung up in the wardrobe, and the bookcase that towered one wall half full with Jason's meagre possessions. All in all, it was far too big for him, he felt like he was being swallowed whole the more he stood there. Really, there was a reason Jason had chosen his own room a floor below and not one of these when he got to pick. His room was nice, close to the kitchen, the door, Bruce's room and it had a nice row of thornless bushes underneath his window should he need a quick escape. It was ideal. It was just too bad the room had been ruined for life for him.

Still, there was no way Jason was staying in this room. Not least because Bruce had picked it.

It took a while to get his stuff into piles again before he went on the hunt for a good place to put his head down. There were thirteen bedrooms on this side of the manor on the second floor. Five of them had been taken, and one too scarring to even think about but the rest of them were up for grabs. 

He boycotted the one next to Tim's when he realised the smell wafted through the walls. Damian would probably try and murder him in his sleep if he took the one next to his, and since Dick's was two doors down, the two cushioning Bruce's master bedroom between them Jason could rest easy knowing he had a human buffer between Bruce and him no matter which direction he went.

The one next to Cass' was okay. It was a room, not too big for him, but the shrubbery outside was severly missing, and the flowers beneath too thin to really break his fall. He moved on, sniffing out the other rooms before he found himself regulating his breathing on his old mattress. 

He hated this room. He loved this room. It was the only room that had been a home for him. It had his stuff in, his memories. It had a bathroom that he'd had one of the most confusingly best orgasms of his life in. That thing had manipulated him, it had, he knew that. But at the time he had thought it was Dick. When he thought back, he did twist it a little in the few times he'd tried to cum since this whole thing ended so it really was Dick that had been behind him. It was an innocent enough encounter to do so, not like the others. It didn't mean it worked, both times Jason had tried he'd ended throwing up.

One night, he decided. If he could sleep in his apartment he could try his old room out for one night. For nothing else than the fact he knew this room inside out. It was always good to know your area.

He hid away in there, battling through his body's natural reactions until he could sit easily against his headboard. It was there Damian found him, a sulky pout on his face as he asked Jason if he could make dinner.

He let Damian look for a recipe, seeing if he could spark a bit of an adventurous streak in him like Alfred hoped. Sure enough, Damian stumbled on something he thought sounded nice but had never had before. It took them a good two hours of trial an error, Jason subtly showing Damian the best way to amend some recipes for his tastes.

Bruce didn't complain about the new food, Alfred either. Damian was overjoyed with his food, none too subtly poking for compliments between bites. Bruce still didn't tell him why he'd hauled Jason away from hid apartment, even when Jason asked. All he said was that he didn't want Jason in that part of town, and if he continued to ask Bruce was going to bench him from patrol.

Jason ended up playing with Ace the rest of the evening. He wheedled Damian into letting him try and teach Ace a few tricks. When that failed he fetched Alpha Alfred and got him to have a go.

It had just struck seven, Jason wondering if he could go out tonight or not, when the front door slammed and Dick's voice called up. He came trotting in not long after, the strange look everyone had on their faces when they saw Jason appearing here as well. Like the others, it only lasted a moment before Dick went back to his usual annoying self.

"Hey Ace, have you been playing with Jay?" The puppy rolled on his back, his legs batting the air as he demanded a belly rub. "So, guess Bruce really kept his promise huh?"

Dick didn't have to clarify what that promise was. "Yep. You gonna be weird like these two or actually tell me why I've been forced back here?"

Dick sheepishly smiled at him, "Sorry."

Well, that answered that.

Dick had a rather more enjoyable day than Jason. Not by much, but Jason would have taken Dick's day over his own right now. Dick had been to his therapist, and then the pharmacy. Apparently his lack of sleep was so severe they perscribed sleeping tablets for him. 

"Hopefully I'll be knocked out tonight."

After that, Dick had a day out with Wally, the two of them lounging about in Coast until Wally zipped him back. Dick was junk food high and happy, but he still looked like death warmed over. His tan skin was paler than usual, Dick usually loved lounging about in the sun, if he coulcouldn't even bring himself to do that Jason was seriously starting to worry.

"So, how are you?" Dick asked. "Dami not driving you mad is he?"

"He's actually been well behaved. Haven't you Damian?"

He got a half hearted scowl, Damian too loved up with Ace right now to produce a real attitude. 

All in all, it was a rather easy evening, mostly because Bruce kept his distance. The three of them played with Ace, Damian was civil and when nine came and Jason went to suit up he wasn't barred at the door.

Patrol was easy as well. His case he wrapped up within the hour, dropping off the paperwork at the precinct. He ran about looking for trouble, lay about in his apartment as a sign if rebellion, and, when one came, Jason retreated back to the manor like a dutiful little boy so daddy wouldn't pull another stunt like he had this morning.

Bruce was still out when he got in, so Jason stowed his guns, showered and-

The computer. Not the main one, Bruce would have had to be an idiot to have it on the big screen. But Jason could still scope a place out like the best of them, so he could see the multitude of code raging over a video. Curiosity had him toeing over, he loved a good mystery, and if Bruce was pinging a video for the viewers or IP addresses Jason wanted to know why.

The code was easy to swipe away. It was still running, but the video was in better focus now. The whole thing was grainy on the small screen, old and crackled so it wasn't on a good device. He thought factory CCTV before the first scream echoed in the air.

Jason didn't hear much else but that scream. It felt like he just blinked and he was out of the cave and back in his old room. The covers were pulled tight to his chin, the bottom tucked in so it would be difficult to get in that way. He didn't know if he was comfortable, lying like this. If he moved he might find out, but if he moved-

He could still hear the scream. He could hear the ones after it without having to listen to them. 

They were high, so high. They were the noise of a child, one whose voice hadn't broke. They were his. 

The scream faded as the shakes set in, his body cold, so cold.

The bed dipped next to him, a hand reached out and Jason screamed.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, just a warning here that there are mentions of child pornography from here on out. It's not explicit, mainly just part of the characters background, but it is in there if you want to skip this chapter for any reason.

He didn't remember much after that. Someone was talking. There were kisses on his forehead, his cheek, and one far too close to his mouth that he vaguely remembered lashing out at. He didn't remember who was there, who wasn't, if others had came and went. His night was a blur of memories being forced into his brain, his room warping until it really was his apartment he was in, the one with the crappy bed. He didn't know when he settled, or when the white noise faded in and out for him to hear, "I told you I wasn't going to leave you Jay," or "Perhaps I should be the one to stay." He didn't know when any of that happened, all he did know was that he woke up.

He must have slept, badly, but he slept since he did wake. His throat hurt and eyes heavy as the apartment faded back into his old room, his real room, the one in the manor. He never thought he'd be so happy to see it, not after that crap he'd been through, yet there he was. He thought, maybe Bruce had a point when he dragged him from his apartment, God knows what would have happened if Jason had woke up in there. Then again, it was him staying in the manor at all that had him seeing... 

He fell back to the pillow, the shakes starting up again. It wasn't memories this time that held him immobile. Really, what had freaked him out last night had purely been the suddenness of the whole situation. If they had just told him, if they had just hinted at something about him being the reason he was dragged back here then maybe he wouldn't have spiralled so bad. Or, maybe he would have spiralled more. Guess they would never know now. The point stood that they knew, there was no question about that. All of them had seen that video, and probably the others, the pictures too, Jason knew he had. He could tell from just remembering the looks in their eyes, the one he couldn't place. At the time he thought it was pity, now he knew it as disgust. Not for him, well, maybe for him a little, but it was just the whole idea and their ignorance to it. 

He wondered briefly how long they were going to leave him alone. Bruce wouldn't let him wallow for long. He probably had questions, ones a crappy video taken with a crappy phone couldn't answer. He wouldn't approach Jason right away, even Bruce had more tact than that, but he would want Jason up, functioning, so that his recovery wouldn't last long enough for Bruce's rage to quell. After all, if it quelled, if it sated itself in the slightest then Bruce was going to have to face up to the other feelings that were probably eating away at the corners of his brain. He'd always been protective of every one in his care. Dick used to tell him stories of Bruce marching onto the playground when Dick had first went to school, he'd went right up to the teacher's the parents that were giving Dick grief and asked them to either change their attitudes or find themselves severely inconvenienced. Dick said four teachers lost their jobs in the first six months of him attending Gotham academy. Jason had been slightly better, the kids had nothing race wise to really hold against him, and if he did find himself on the other end of bullying he definitely never went to Bruce. But there were still some things Jason couldn't keep from him. Like, in that first year, the teachers didn't even give him a chance to catch up, it was held back or nothing. When he was finally placed in a classroom, they were condescending, they talked down to him or in some cases just left him to his own devices. They didn't think a kid from the streets could match up to their ideal of education and they weren't going to even give him a shot. Bruce had done a lot with Dick to prove that he didn't stand intolerance, but even he couldn't change the system entirely. People slipped through the cracks or were just focused on other areas of discrimination that didn't pique Bruce's attention the first time around. They didn't last the second. Not after Alfred found him struggling through a copy of  _Great Expectations_ wondering why Jason hadn't managed to make at least some progress in his time at school. 

The thing was, that had been school, that had been small. This was something else entirely. 

He felt sick, his throat tingling in warning. He dashed for the bathroom, vaguely feeling something heavy slip from around his waist. The nausea came and went in bouts, leaving him pained by the tub for a good hour before he felt it safe enough to move himself. His feet were unsteady as he brushed his teeth, his head down the whole time. The less he saw of this bathroom the better. As much as he hated to however, he kept the door open, knowing that it wouldn't take much before he was bolting again for the toilet. A closed door, he knew from experience, could very well spell the difference between an easy clean up or a line of vomit that would stink his room out for weeks. God knew how long he was staying here, the last thing he needed was to organise a heavy duty bleaching session because he'd done something stupid like close a perfectly good door. 

The bed was a welcome sight, if only because it promised him more sleep. He stumbled under the covers just as his brain recognised the other figure splayed out on the other side. Dick. He must have been the one to come to him, Bruce and Damian were out after all. Jason was kind of surprised, he had been sure Dick had taken his meds last night. Ones that had him snoring like a bear on the couch before they all went out. Jason tried to remember how loud he'd been coming in, whether he could have woken Dick up. He drew a blank, nothing was really certain in his mind, not until he started yelling. Now that, Jason was sure could have woken Dick up. Maybe he had come in afterwards. Jason was sure he'd heard someone say they would stay with him. Regardless, there was a sleeping Dick in his bed. One Jason most definitely did not want to be there.

Thing was, there were only three ways of handling this situation, and neither of them would get him the privacy he wanted. He could wake Dick up, the most obvious course of action really. But if he did, Jason would have to talk to him, would have to tell him to get out and not come back. He would have to suffer through puppy dog eyes and sad speeches, all of which he wasn't equipped to handle right now. He needed time to recover, to get his mind in the right place before he saw anyone thinking they could place sympathy on him. The second option, and really the most appealing, was for Jason to retreat back to that massive room Bruce had initially put him in. He could sleep, gather himself and maybe hide away for a good five days. The only problem with that plan was that Dick would freak out the moment he woke up alone. Jason would get his privacy, yes, but before that he would have to suffer through, again, worry, puppy dog eyes and sad speeches. Worse, if Jason worried Dick then Bruce would definitely be on his tail for that meeting. Just the thought of Bruce right now made his skin tingle. Which left Jason with the last option.

He plonked down on his pillow, turning away from Dick and under the covers. Sleep wouldn't come. Sleep probably wouldn't come for the rest of the day, but Jason only had to pretend until Dick woke up. 

It took longer than Jason expected, worryingly long, especially when he checked his phone and saw it was after noon. Jason was almost ready to check Dick was still breathing when a soft knock came at his door. He turned away, feigning his best sleeping face as the pad clunk of Alfred's crutches pattered into the room. They didn't go to his side, thankfully, and instead continued around until Alfred could sit himself beside Dick. There was a subtle shake, the bed dipping slightly as Dick moved before the first signs of waking reached Jason's ears. He had to admit, he was a little happy Dick was still breathing. 

"Alfred?" he heard.

"It's almost two Master Dick. Breakfast is long over but I have managed to bring myself to make some toast if you are hungry."

The bed shifted again as Dick sat up. "What happened?" Dick yawned, almost as bad as Bruce at waking up today. "I thought I fell asleep in the living room?"

"You don't remember?" 

There was a pause, Dick sounding much more alert as he said, "Er, no, not really. It's probably these new tablets Alfred. Are we in Jason's room?"

"Yes," And by the way Alfred was pointedly lowering his own voice Jason was safe to think his act was working. "So you do not remember what happened last night?"

"No." Which, Jason kind of wished he'd known about now. He wouldn't have minded kicking Dick out of bed if he'd known Dick was blacked out of his mind on meds when he came in. "Why, someone get hurt?"

"Not exactly. Perhaps we should talk outside, Master Jason won't want to wake up to us discussing him."

"Guess not," Dick agreed, the bed shifting and popping back into place as Dick started helping Alfred up. "But, you know he hates us talking behind his back too. Way I see it, he's gonna be pissed with us no matter what."

There was silence save for the clunk of Alfred's crutches as they left. As soon as the door shut Jason flopped on his back, stretching out into the warmth Dick had left behind. 

He couldn't believe this had happened. Actually, he could. He should have known his luck was so rotten that as soon as he was even thinking of getting back on his feet it dragged him back down. He was going to have to get out of here. Not the manor, not yet anyway knowing Bruce, but he had to get out of this room. To eat, at least. He wondered if he could send Damian some of his favourite comfort recipes. Did he even have the brats number? Jason checked, his mind focusing on anything other than the fact that there was a video of him in the cave. 

Well, he didn't have Damian's number. But he did have Tims for some reason. Jason sent him a few annoying memes in between pleas to get Damian to make decent food, hoping the whole thing didn't seem too unnatural. He was kind of banking on the fact Tim and Cass were abroad when this whole thing went down for them to not know what was going on. A fleeting hope knowing how nosy Tim was but a hope nonetheless. 

He ended up drawing back his curtains when the shadows were starting to freak him out. The sun, if there was one, helped light his room a little. Enough for him to dig out his shoebox anyway. He didn't even look at his mom, instead flitting through them until he found the photos from his Robin days. They were good memories, safe, and far enough away from thoughts of his apartment, of that whole part of Gotham that he could lose himself in them a while. Jason wished he'd had the sense of mind to bring his laptop down here the day before. Who was he kidding, there was no way he was staying in that room Bruce chose, no matter how twisted this room got it was his, and it would always hold more good than bad memories for him. He should have brought everything down with him, set this place up, then he could be on his laptop playing solitaire or talking to Kori instead of wallowing.

The self pity carried him until four when sounds of monstrous banging started emerging from the kitchen. He could hear Alfred and Damian both shouting, the two of them teamed up in a rare show of support as they tried to evict Bruce. It must have worked since when the food started cooking Jason could smell nothing foul. 

His stomach started on him the longer that smell wafted up. He wasn't a stranger to skipped meals, but as a kid who had done it more out of necessity than choice he knew that when a meal was offered to him he took it. It was the deal he and his body had struck up and he wasn't about to break it now. Which meant, inevitably, he was going to have to go down. He was going to have to see the others and be judged by them. Right now, he couldn't bring himself to wonder whether it was a good or bad thing that Tim wasn't there. The little judgemental brat would probably have a tonne to say on the matter.

 He started on breathing exercises, doing what he always did when he was uncomfortable and move on to worst case scenarios. He prepared himself for every vile, intrusive thing this family could throw at him, even the ones that made him race for the bathroom again. It didn't do much to help his nerves, but Jason's problem had always been with surprises more than anything. He supposed that was one thing him and Bruce had in common. 

At exactly six, after he heard Damian carry plate after plate to the dining room and ask Alfred what best beverage should be served with their meal, the call went up. Dick must have been in the gym, which was only a few doors between his and Jason's room since he heard the hurried footsteps from Dick first. Bruce, Jason honestly didn't know where he was. He was like a cat at the best of times, sneaking up on people even when he didn't mean to. Jason didn't wait to see if he would come knocking, flying out of his room instead before he changed his mind. 

It was a rather formal dinner, Damian going all out with the fancy china. Jason wondered if Alfred even knew about it or whether he'd taken one look at Damian trying to impress the family with another one of his concoctions and told him that presentation was everything. He'd done the same for Jason when he made his first few meals. When he was sure he'd gotten one more than right, perfect he dare say, Alfred had hurried him along to the special silverware they kept for guests and special occasions and told him the art of napkin folding. 

Dick was avoiding his gaze when Jason sat next to him. Damian too, started when he came in carrying one of the heavy platters. Jason pretended it didn't bother him, made himself focus on the food. It wasn't that difficult, he'd been to far more uncomfortable dinners in this house, and some quite recently too. 

The Minestrone was revealed just as Bruce came down. For a moment, Jason was sure Bruce was going to bolt, but that iron clad courage won out and Damian's dish was served to all four of them.

"Where's Alfred?" Jason asked, saving just a little bit of pride for making them all jump for later.

"Kitchen," Damian said. "He said he would keep an eye on desert while we ate."

"Must be something fancy."

"Damian's getting very fancy lately," Dick said, jumping right in with any excuse to avoid the obvious.

They talked about that for a while. Jason knew deep down this wasn't the time to be talking about Damian's new venture into the culinary arts. The kid deserved to have his praise when there wasn't something else hanging over their heads. But, right then, it was the only thing any of them could find a way to fill the silence with. It wasn't like Damian minded either. He was still too young to probably grasp the severity of what was going on, and as much as he liked to think that he was older there were just some things Damian couldn't understand. Jason got it, he hadn't understood either when he was Damain's age, and he'd definitely felt like a grown up too. 

Alfred, sure enough, came in with desert when it was ready. Damian had managed to make a whole pie, something that was harder than it looked when made from scratch. Jason helped Alfred sit as Damian handed off the plates to everyone. The crust was still a little thick, but Jason had to admit it was a damn good pie. Better than anything Dick or Bruce could have made anyway.

He could see everyone, not just him, scraping their plates, prolonging the truce that was between this dinner. Yet, not even Jason could find more food on his plate when it was gone. Damian was the only one smart enough to make a hasty exit, he grabbed as much as he could, Alfred getting a few plates he missed here and there before the two of them disappeared to wash up. Jason considered running, Bruce probably would have let him too, but Jason had always been hard-wired to tough things out. 

"Where'd you get it?" he asked, the most pressing question for him really. It had lay dormant for a good ten years after all. 

Dick cleared his throat, starting and stopping sentences before Bruce finally butt in, "It was sent to us. We don't know by who, the tech looks like it's one of our own. Maybe something stolen. Jay-"

"So have you seen the others?" he just, he had to know. 

"You knew about them?" Dick asked instead.

A laugh burst out of him, short and high, not at all what he wanted to sound like in this conversation. "I was there Dick. I do know what a camera is for."

Dick deflated, burrowing himself in his hands as he tried to wrap his head around it. Bruce was still stock still in his seat, Jason wasn't sure he'd even blinked. Dick was the one to talk again, still not looking at Jason directly. He wondered what Dick saw when he did, which tragedy was on display for Dick to judge. "I just, I don't get it. Why? Why did you- were you forced or...?"

"You've read my file. You know why Dick."

"But that was your mom. Your mom needed the money, your dad wasn't even around at that time." His dad wasn't there to push her into it so why had this happened? It went to show how naive Dick was that he'd immediately pinned the blame on Jason's father. They all probably had. It was no secret that Jason's mom sold herself for money long before the drugs came into the picture. His dad had known about it too, even encouraged it. He didn't care what happened so long as he got his money, his booze, his time to go out and mooch up to the crime lords. They had probably thought the only reason it continued when his dad was out of the picture was because his mom had started on the drugs. She'd needed something to numb her after all. It wasn't like she had the money to be a classy escort, she had to do things the hard way in the worst part of the city. She'd come home with stories of women being murdered, of cops covering it up because no one cared. She'd had no security out there, and worse, she had an errant husband up to God knew what and a kid she didn't even want hanging about here every move the second she came home. 

"Who do you think answered the door?" Jason asked. "Who do you think was there when the price went up for something a little more illegal? You think my mom cared what happened to me Dick? She was just as bad as him, the only difference was that at one point she did care. But money can tempt a lot of people, and when she didn't even know what was going on half the time you think she minded a little extra cash?"

"It's sick."

"It's what happens. You know this. You both know this. The only difference here is that you actually know my name. You think I was one in a million. You go back onto that website, I can pull up twenty kids I know easy. A few of them are probably dead now too. You know why? Because people don't care."

"I care," Dick said, finally looking at him. "You think I don't help those kids Jay? I try. I try so hard, we've done everything we could to shut websites like that down and-"

"You think that's helping?" Jason wasn't prepared to get into a fight like this tonight, but it wasn't like he hadn't done it before. He'd laid down these facts to Bruce again and again ever since he'd been Robin. "Look Dick, half these guys aren't even that dirty. When they see kids they don't think, huh, think I might abduct and rape one tonight. They see us on the street and it's pure opportunity. It's curiosity. It's human nature to want to do something bad, and yeah, I know that doesn't make it right, but shutting down websites isn't doing a whole lot to help kids like that. You think they found me through a website? No, they saw a kid answering the door and asked my mom how much more it would be to let off some steam with me. They're testing boundaries because they know no one's gonna tell on them. Really, when you shut those sites down, you're doing nothing but telling these pervs that they have to look elsewhere for their happys. You want to make a difference, have a word with the GCPD about response times. Teach these bastards a better lesson than shoving them in the system. Half of them don't even get jailed because they're first timers or they claim they didn't know what the hell was going on. It's not like the kids are gonna speak out either. They need to learn, they need to be more than bruised up. You need to do more than tell people that it's gonna be okay when the damage is already done. Hell Dick, you think other you fixated on me for laughs. That thing was scared, then it was curious, then it was testing the boundaries. Just like them. And I let it because that was all I knew to do."

He knew he'd went off a bit more than intended. He always did when he got worked up. But, he'd said all of this before. Maybe a bit more violently, or not in so many words, but he had said it over the years. He wondered if they got it now, if they finally understood. He glanced at Bruce, finding him still seated like a stone wall. Dick on the other hand had retreated back into his arms, his back shaking violently.

He turned back to Bruce. "Look, I don't care that it's up. I don't. It happened and there's nothing I can do. Just don't think- just don't-" think differently about him. It was the whole reason he hadn't told Bruce in the first place. He thought the man would find out, maybe stumble upon the photo's at least in their time together. But Jason wasn't going to be the one to tell him. He didn't want Bruce to look at him differently, to see him and think Jason was too compromised to be Robin. He was better than where he came from and he'd done so hard to prove it to Bruce. He didn't want all of that to be taken away when Bruce found out he was just a regular kid from Crime Alley. "Just shut up about it," he settled on, finally releasing himself from the table. 

He found Ace on his way back to his room, the puppy mindlessly chasing Alfred the cat through the halls. He didn't hesitate a second picking both cat and dog up and bringing them into his room. Alfred, of course, didn't stay long, he had better things to do than claw his way through Jason's chest. But Ace was happy enough to keep Jason company. 

There was a knock on his door hours later, Ace whimpering enough that Jason didn't have to wait for the second one to go see who it was. Damian was on the other side, Alfred happily purring in his arms, claws retracted and all. Jason opened the door enough to let Ace out, knowing that was what Damian had come for. Yet, the puppy remained happily wagging his tail on the ground, Damian still standing there.

"Father does not want you out tonight," Damian said at last. Which, yeah, Jason had expected. "Grayson is staying in too, father wants you to keep an eye on him."

"Keep an eye on him?" He thought it would be the other way around. 

"If he is still sleepwalking father does not want him injuring himself."

"I thought none of you had followed him?" At least, that was what Alfred had said. Then again, Alfred slept on the other side of the manor. He probably didn't have the time nor the want to get back on his crutches when he lay down for the night. 

Damian shrugged in response, the whole motion coupled with the red tint in his cheeks telling Jason that maybe Damian had been following Dick. "Regardless, you are in charge when Pennyworth retires." He even handed Alfred over to prove his point, the goodbye so drawn out Jason could see Damian had inherited some of his father's dramatics. "Also," Damian continued, looking him in the eye rather than petting Alfred one last time. "I wish you to know that while father may be easy on the men in that video I shall not be."

"Thanks," Jason choked out, not really knowing what to say to it. 

"Do not think it is familial affection. Loathe as I am to admit it you are a Wayne and our pride is on the line. I am merely doing my duty to make sure that those who would seek to use this as a way to weaken us think again."

It came easier this time to say, "Thanks Dami," and it showed how much Damian was lying his ass off about it not being about caring for Jason since he didn't even tell him off for shortening his name. "But," he couldn't help but tack on, "Those low lives have been dealt with. I made sure I got all of them when I first came back. Really, I think if Bruce wants to focus on someone it should be who's sent that video in the first place. There's a reason for it, and who knows, maybe we're falling right into their trap."

Damian stilled for a moment, the cogs turning in his brain before he was racing for the cave, no doubt seeing the truth behind Jason's words. Bruce had said it looked like tech they owned, if it was someone who stole from them, or even a double agent, Bruce had better figure them out fast before they could put another distraction in their way. Since this definitely tasted like a distraction. Not many people knew that Jason was back, well, they knew about Red Hood, but not many connected the dots between the second Robin and Red Hood, he remembered hearing Booster Gold ask if Jason was a cousin of Dick's one time, he was sure there were others who believed Jason was still dead. 

He stayed in his room, trying to persuade Alfred to stay longer this time when the shouting started up. Looks like someone hadn't told Dick he was benched. Footsteps marched and retreated back in the span of an hour, Jason hearing Alfred's crutches fade after Dick strode off the first time. 

It was nine when Jason ventured outside his room again. Ace was hot on his heels and Alfred stalking away to the front door. Whoever said having a cat was peaceful obviously hadn't met Alfred. The damn thing had started booping him on the nose once the petting wasn't to his satisfaction. Then, when Jason still didn't answer whatever demand the cat wanted he started trashing the room. He never thought that thing about animals taking after their owners were true until now. It was like cat Damian in there. He let Alfred out gladly, turning to lavish attention on the one good child in his care as they went back up. 

 He was chasing Ace down one of the halls when he remembered to check in on Dick. He checked the living room just in case Dick had passed out again before trailing over to his room. Dick hadn't even made it to the mattress, he was lying face down in a pile of clothes. Jason lamented the effort he'd made with Dick's room all those weeks ago. It had been futile, he'd known that from the beginning, but still, he'd kind of hoped it wouldn't look exactly the way it did before he'd cleaned it. Still wasn't as bad as Tims Jason defended as he made his way over the landmine of stolen objects. 

"You really are like a bird," Jason told him, hefting his unconscious sibling up around the middle. "Don't know about Robin a though. Maybe a crow. They steal things, right?"

Dick was floppy as Jason moved him about, those tablets doing their thing as they literally knocked him out. He debated swinging Dick around for a while, seeing what it would take to wake him up, but, that was kind of cruel, and Dick really hadn't been sleeping right. So Jason did what any other nice person would do and shoved the crap off Dick's bed to toss him on. He picked Ace up on his way out in case the puppy got caught in whatever orbit this place was omitting, the two of them finally returning to Jason's room. Well, they made a detour for puppy stuff first, but they got there eventually.

After the horror show that was the night before Jason, naturally, found it hard to go to sleep. Tired as he was his body just didn't want to shut down, so, pretty soon Jason found himself taking advantage of the empty house and grabbed his stuff from the bedroom upstairs. He was just unpacking his DVD's when the carpet creaked in the hall. It was the one just to the side of the second bedroom down from his, opposite the gym. It could have been just a creak, this house was big, and old and God knew what was dwelling in it. But Jason heard the one in the middle of the floor creak next. The footsteps may be light but this house had a way of telling people when there was someone moving about in it. 

It didn't take a genius to put two and two together. Damian's worry over sleepwalking, and the creak moving slowly down the hall just had to be Dick. It sounded like it was heading in Bruce's direction, a sound place for Dick to go really. Still, there were a number of bedrooms and a flight of stairs down that direction too, one that led to the attic. There were any number of places Dick could injure himself on.

He sighed, kicking himself slightly as Dick got further and further away before hopping up. "Okay Acey, let's go see what Dick's up to."


	9. Chapter 9

He kept Ace held in his arms rather than padding along the floor after the puppy had gotten side tracked and chased a shadow for a good minute. He knew he could have just let Ace lag behind, but Damian would probably kill him if he found out Jason had left the poor thing alone for more than a second. It wasn't even a matter of not telling the brat, somehow, and Jason was suspecting maybe meta powers or something, but the kid just knew. So now Ace was confined to the comfort of Jason's arms. Not a bad place to be if he said so himself.

They trailed along after Dick for a while, always keeping at least a corridor back. It wasn't intentional, Jason had tried to catch up to him, yet every time he turned the corner Dick was taking the next one. Jason was starting to feel like he was being led somewhere, he didn't know why, maybe it was just the fact Dick was a seriously creepy sleepwalker.

They took another turn, the dead end at the far wall meaning Dick was either going to retreat, go into one of the rooms, or up the stairs. Jason was betting on the stairs, and knowing for a fact Dick was more likely to fall up them with these meds he plonked Ace down on his furry butt and raced to cut Dick off. He felt like a human wall standing there braced against the stairway. A rather scared human wall when the half asleep expression he'd expected to see was absent from Dick's face.

Now, Jason was no stranger to sleepwalkers. It was kind of a given in the superhero community with all the bad things that happen around them that some people were going to come out the other side with some issues on their minds. Kori was one of these individuals. More than once Jason had been woken up by Roy to help wrangle Kori back into bed. It wasn't easy, especially because it was true about sleepwalkers being dangerous, but they managed somehow to get her to float slowly back to the bedroom so she wouldn't hurt herself. With Kori, she had looked pretty asleep. Her eyes were open, sure, but there was a glaze over them that was proof she wasn't really with them, and yeah, sometimes she talked and sometimes it freaked Jason out, but even that was just gibberish most of the time. The point was, Kori looked like she was a sleepwalker.

Dick on the other hand, Jason felt like fleeing the moment they made eye contact. There was an awareness in there, like Dick was actually thinking rather than acting on instinct. When he moved, he didn't mindlessly stroll in one direction or navigate a footpath he'd already walked. He was moving like he would when he was awake.

"Dick?" Jason tried, shrinking in on himself the closer Dick got. "You awake?"

Nothing. Verbally at least. But Dick had focused on him, a sort of dreamlike quality entering his eyes for a moment before the awareness was back and Dick was walking closer. Jason found himself taking a step up, bracing his arms more firmly in case he had to kick Dick back. He could do it. His brother could take a kick, just to knock him back so he wouldn't fall on the stairs.

His fingers clenched in the wall, his feet rocking to the balls. Only, Dick turned away from the stairs, his eyes passing Jason once more before focusing on the last door in the hallway. He opened it with ease, muscle memory, Jason's mind tried to argue, while the rest of him wondered if he could get away with locking Dick in there until he went back to a real sleep.

It was Ace that eventually decided things for him. The curious little puppy was sniffing the trail Dick had left behind, little growly whines escaping his throat on every sixth step. When Ace got to the door, he only poked his head in before he was running off like a shot. Jason didn't hesitate in following him.

He picked Ace up before he overtook the dog, the two of them making a detour to Alfred's room where they were taken pity on and allowed to sleep the rest of the night.

He woke up to Alfred complaining. Sometime in the night Ace had a little accident, and since there were no puppy pads in the room Ace just found a corner and then toddled back to Jason for a cuddle.

"I'll clean it up," Jason promised, helping Alfred with his shirt.

"No, no. I knew what I was getting into letting a dog stay the night."

"I'll do it. You just go wake Dick. Sleeping pills or not he shouldn't miss out on half the day." He was already racing away to the bleach Alfred kept under his sink. He heard the sound of crutches and knew he'd won. "Maybe let the cat in too. I think I tossed him out last night." He was pretty sure he did anyway.

"Master Damian will have gotten Alfred in."

"Then just go wake Dick." He made himself busy, all too aware that Alfred was still standing close.

"Master Jason?" Came after a moment, the tone itself having Jason turning. Alfred cleared his throat, "I hope you know, no matter what has happened, you will always be the same boy you were to us.

Right, the whole video fiasco. Strange, but Jason had actually almost forgotten about that. "Yeah," He said, for lack of any other response he could find. "Sure."

"Master Bruce has a hard time showing it, but, he does care. What he saw, what we all saw, it's hard for us to think something like that ever happened."

"I know," it was the same thing he'd said to Dick. They never thought it would happen because Jason was in front of them, they knew his name, who he was as a person, they cared about him, they didn't want to think of the tragedies that had happened before he came to know them. It's like thinking of all those broken bones Dick probably got before his parents died, or the time outs. No one wants to believe it, they don't want to think there was more than what they were shown when their lives intertwined.

"As for myself, do not tell your father this, but I believe some of what you do to those men are quite well deserved." He had been listening in then, Damian too probably.

"Only some of it?"

Alfred shrugged as well as he could with his crutches. "Believe it or not I did encounter some of the grisly natures this world has to offer once upon a time."

"I believe it." Sometimes Jason wondered what would have happened if Alfred was still in his prime. Would he have taken up a cowl? "You know, if you ever want to talk about the old days Alfred, I'm willing to listen."

"My one good child," Alfred lamented as he went off to wake the others.

It didn't take long for Alfred's apartments to smell good as new. Ace had done his best to help too, the puppy pawing at Jason's hand or jumping the back of his legs every now and then for some kind of praise. When they did finish Jason had to steel himself a second time before he ventured into the wider manor.

Ace was happy to roam the halls again, whatever fear he'd had last night completely gone in the face of day. He padded along on his too big feet, big enough now to attempt the stairs down to the kitchen. Jason still kept a hand in front of him in case he fell, which he did half way down, but considering Ace couldn't even get down one step a few weeks ago Jason couldn't be prouder.

Damian was already in the kitchen, yawning behind a bowl of cereal Jason vaguely recognised as one of Dick's brands. Alfred the cat had, sure enough, been let in and was pacing back and forth in front of his servant. Jason nudged Ace over to his bowl, hurrying himself over to the stove to start his own breakfast. If he was busy, no one had any reason to talk to him. That was what he hoped anyway as he started on one of the most convoluted and time consuming breakfasts he'd ever made.

He swapped Damian's cereal out for pancakes when they were ready, patrol either too tiring or Damian desperate for something different than cereal and toast as he dove into the pancakes without complaint. Jason should have guessed that Bruce would make it in time for the bacon, the man was like a bloodhound at the best of times, he must have smelt the meat as soon as it hit the grill, biding his time in bed until he knew it would be ready for him. Sure enough, in a show of good faith, Bruce just sat in his place, not a word directed at Jason and let the bacon come to him.

"You're lucky I'm not that pissed with you," Jason said, handing over the plate.

Bruce didn't rise to the barb, the bacon worth his silence as it clinked in place.

Jason kind of meant it too. He wasn't that pissed with Bruce. Not really. Yeah, he hadn't liked being unearthed from his apartment with no warning, and, yeah, he would have liked to know what was going on. But, after cooling down a bit, he could see where Bruce was coming from. Bruce was a smart guy, not that good with people, but he was smart. The video was sent to the computer by tech of his own, Bruce didn't know by who or who else it had been sent to. For all he knew, at the time, everyone in the JLA was watching some guy get his rocks off to a nine year old kid, and if that was the case then it was only a matter of time before one of them confronted Jason about it. Bruce hadn't had time to think, he'd just acted in the worst case scenario and wondered what would happen if Jason saw that video while he was in that apartment. There was a reason he had so many safe houses, almost all of them were a murder scene and almost all of them he'd been to when he was a kid. It was kind of like staking his territory down, telling himself that these were the places that had made him who he was and therefore were his. But, they were also the cause of some of his worst memories, case in point. Bruce had probably connected the dots in seconds, and in retrospect, after his freak out in the manor, he too was kind of glad now that Bruce had dragged him out of there.

It wasn't even the idea that Bruce could have thought it through, done some digging and knew he could have kept it from Jason. He couldn't. Plain and simple. It was either going to be Bruce going to find Jason, or it was going to be one of the less tactful, more emotion driven bats in his care. Jason was always going to find out, what pissed him off was the fact that someone was using him, again, as a way to get to Bruce. Like, he had four siblings, surely it was one of their turns by now.

Dick was the last to waddle in, Alfred beating him by a hair as the man looked for something to make himself useful with. Jason didn't even look at Dick, just set his plate down and helped Alfred over to his own seat.

Jason busied himself with the washing up as the rest of them finished breakfast, sneaking looks every now and then to Dick. He didn't look off. He didn't look anything except tired. Which, now that Jason thought about it, should have been rectified by now. Those tablets were meant to knock him out, and they did. From experience with Kori Jason knew that sleepwalkers didn't really feel the effects of their nightly wanderings when they woke. Kori woke better on nights she had sleepwalked than when she didn't. Then again, Kori said she slept better when she had two human pillows instead of one as well. There was probably a lie in there somewhere. Regardless, Dick should have been getting at least five hours even if he was walking.

He did the math, counting the hours between when Dick knocked himself out and when he went strolling. There was a good three hour gap there, and Jason bet that he didn't wander for long. It couldn't have been more than two hours, which meant that Dick would have gotten eight hours.

He was over by Dick's chair before he could think better of it, bringing his arm to Dick's forehead.

"Something wrong Jay?" Dick yawned, his fork losing its pancake in the process.

"No," Jason said. "It's just, the lady down the hall from me has kids who all got chicken pox before I left. I forgot to warn you all, figured I may as well check for contamination. 24 hours is the limit, right?"

He saw Bruce slump in his seat, "Please tell me you're kidding."

"Nope," And he wasn't either. The lady down the halls kids really did have chicken pox. Jason was only hoping that was the reason for Dick's clamminess and not something else. "Why?"

Bruce sent a quick look to Damian who was narrowing his eyes slowly. "What is chicken pox?"

Bruce was on high alert the rest of the morning. He had Dick and Damian actually strip in the cave, gathering every article of clothing they'd wore over the last two days for examination. The only reason Jason was left out of all this was because Bruce had already crossed this hurdle when Jason was thirteen. Yes, it had been a second case, and Bruce had him over at the ER more than once because Jason refused to take his medicine or consider that it could be something worse, like shingles, but it had passed and Jason was in the clear. Not so lucky for the other two.

Dick, as it turned out, had never had chicken pox, for which Jason was growing more and more relieved as the day went on for. Apparently, Bruce had never thought to introduce them to Dick when he'd been a kid because Robin work required Dick to be in top physical condition. Also the whining back then would have been unbearable, or so Jason heard Alfred say covertly. He hadn't even had the thought of mind to get Dick to come around when Jason had them because they were fighting at the time, so, poor Dick. Damian too had never had them, and considering the way he was still lethargic Jason was starting to think he'd made the right call telling them.

"What does a chicken even have to do with a disease. Grayson, unhand me," Damian squawked. Dick didn't listen, too busy turning Damian around for Bruce to see the beginnings of spots on the boys thighs.

"No!" Dick moaned. "No! Come on, I'm twenty two. I can't have chicken pox. This is your fault Jason!"

"You know, you should be thanking me," Jason grinned, the chicken pox distracting the family from focusing on more disturbing and probing things like Jason. "I could have just kept my mouth shut. But no, as the good brother I am I decided I would tell you."

He got the finger for his efforts. 

With Damian definitely contaminated and volatile, Bruce had to quarrantine him to the batchair while he checked Dick over. It took a good hour, Bruce checking every nook and crevice after he caught on to Dick's fever, before he called it a day.

"You don't have any spots yet," which had Dick pouting. "But, they might be still coming in. We'll have to check again tonight."

Damian was in a hissy fit all day now he was ill. This being the second time this year he declared war against school and then the wider populous of children, blaming them for his predicament. Dick was no better, no spots didn't exactly give him a free pass, so Dick was confined to the manor for a twenty four hour period while they waited to see if Dick was going to get any spots at all. 

Jason was finding the whole thing hilarious. Especially when he went down to the cave to listen to Bruce worry about who else might have been infected last night while Damian and he were out. Jason hoped to God they had encountered someone high up, Riddler, Two Face at least, and that they were sitting at home now, or Arkham, wondering when the Bat had resorted to germ warfare. 

He offered to help, but Bruce confined him to the manor too, everything still too tense between them to even think about Jason going out of the manor just yet. So, Jason ended up pestering his brothers the rest of the day. If only to take his mind off other things and stop others from talking seriously with him.

Damian kicked him out after ten minutes. Not even using Ace as a shield stopped Damian from using a pillow as a weapon. He lay around the manor after that, taking a nap in the sun room, sneaking junk food out of the kitchen, until there was nothing else to do than see out his suspicions. 

Dick was pouting when Jason found him in the media room. There were old cartoons playing, Dick still clammy but looking more awake as he watched the road runner get away again.

He hopped over the couch, watching as Dick tensed for a moment before relaxing exponentially more than he had been before. Jason watched him for a while, taking in the dark circles under his eyes, the way the energy seemed to be gone in Dick. It was so very familiar, but it could so easily be explained away as well. Jason had looked, there was a possibility that Dick was sick, that he did have chicken pox. There were some cases where spots didn't appear. This could be one of those cases.

He burrowed his feet under DIck's butt anyway, trying to unseat, or at least annoy him away from the TV. He got a swift kick in the chest, Dick seating himself more firmly on Jason's feet in retaliation, squishing them, Jason would almost say.

"Okay, okay," Jason squeaked, yanking his feet back. "Guess I'll think twice about trying to make you feel better."

"That was making me feel better? Well, I guess this shows why you never went into medicine." Even as Dick was talking he wasn't exactly keeping to himself either. "Did Bruce send you?"

"Like we're speaking," Jason scoffed.

At the reminder, Dick's face fell, the feet withdrawing until they were both as far away from each other as they could be. "Right." 

"Oh for- Look, this is exactly why I didn't want you to know. You and Bruce, the two of you are like the worst at confronting uncomfortable situations. Burning building, no problem, but as soon as you're confronted with someone you care about it's like you just shut off."

Dick didn't even try to deny it. "I'm not as bad as Bruce," he said.

"No, 'cause Bruce doesn't often make things worse."

Dick grumbled at him, still not denying it.

"Kori told me what happened when you two broke up. She doesn't talk about you much but she did tell me that. You just stopped talking to her Dick."

"I know." 

"No, you don't. Look, when you're around someone it's like they're the centre of your universe. It's... it's something Dick. And when you just stop all of a sudden, with no warning, you don't know what that's like Dick. I know things have been rough between us these last few years but, you being you to me, even if it is just to yell at me for trying to kill the tweebs, it's been," He didn't know how to put it into words. To him, Dick had always been a constant source of himself. Even when he was blowing up in Jason's face it had been good to know some things would always stay the same. "good," he said eventually. "And now you know, you've gotten all weird on me. How long until you stop talking to me Dick?"

"Jay," Dick made him look up, "Jay no, that's not going to happen. Not with us."

"Why?" It had happened with Kori, with Roy. It had happened with Barbara, and Donna. The only Titan Dick hadn't phased out of his life was Wally, and even then they only saw each other every now and then. True, Wally had a life and family of his own now, but still, the single people in Dick's life that he could be hanging out with he wasn't. "You know now, you can't handle it, I know you can't handle it, hell I can barely handle it."

"Jay," Dick called again, getting in front of him now so there was no way Jason could avoid his gaze. Sometimes Jason hated the forced eye contact, he didn't care what people said about it being a comforting thing, Jason just found it wrong. "Jaybird listen to me. I'm not going to stop talking to you, I'm not going to cut you out. I promise."

"You say that, but I don't believe you." Why would he? Dick had done the same to people he'd claimed to be in love with. A man he was barely on speaking terms with? Jason had no chance.

"Then I'll prove it to you." 

He looked in Dick's eyes, reminded again why he liked this goofball so much. He was back in Dick's orbit and he wanted to believe so bad Dick wouldn't drop him. That he would be the exception. He wanted to believe in the earnestness in Dick's voice, in his eyes, he wanted to believe so bad that the truth behind all of it was Dick's own, because if he didn't, if he doubted for just a second, then Jason didn't know what he would do.

"I hope you do." 

They lapsed back into silence, the sound of old cartoons the only thing keeping the room alive. Jason checked Dick's temperature despite Dick's insistence that he was fine. He kept check if it fluctuated or stayed the same and tried comparing it to the fever he had. The only problem was, he didn't remember what his fever had been like. Really, he had been out of it half the time. Dick wasn't out of it, but if Jason even whispered his suspicions to Bruce without some kind of proof, then the hell they would be put through will be for nothing.

"You know," Dick said, "We should do something. When I'm allowed out of house arrest that is."

"Do something?"

Dick hummed in agreement. "When was the last time we really just hung out? We don't have to talk about anything heavy, or even do anything that strenuous."

"Isn't that what we're doing now?" Jason might not be an expert of human behaviour but he was sure that being in the same vicinity of each other counted as hanging out. 

"I mean, we should do something fun. Like the zoo."

Of course the zoo. If there was one place Dick loved it was the zoo. He would live there if he could, Jason had no doubt about that. "Something more original Dickie."

"That's not a no." Dick hummed on it for a while. "Okay, how about go-karting? Or a roller rink? Ooh, roller rink Jay. I haven't skated in ages."

He wanted to scoff at the suggestions, maybe pretend he was above it all. But damn, Jason was no Tim, and the inner kid inside of him was actually judging which of the two sounded more fun. "I do love a go-kart." 

"Okay. We'll go there. Just the two of us. A brother's day out. No sad talk, no thinking about sad things, just you and me, having some fun."

"Just you and me?"

"Just you and me," Dick promised.

He stayed with Dick the rest of the day, drifting off himself to the sound of old cartoons and soft breathing. When he woke, it was dark, some movie Jason vaguely recognised playing on screen and a soft thigh under his cheek. Damian had his head fixed to the screen, Alfred purring like a fuzzy machine almost on top of Jason's head. He slowly sat up, not wanting to chance Alfred's vengeance a second night.

"What time is it?"

Damian pointed to the clock, too busy stroking his cat to actually tell him. It was eight, not late enough to go to sleep, for him at least, but not early enough to do something fun either. 

"Where's Dick?"

"He has taken his pills."

"Already?" He knew Dick had been taking them early the last two nights but Jason had just figured that was because he was tired. Yeah, he probably was still tired, but Jason thought Dick would have at least made it to nine before passing out.

"He said if he is not going out he may as well catch up on his sleep. I for one, believe he was trying to escape your twitching."

Jason squinted at the kid, "You could have kicked me off any time. Last I knew I didn't fall asleep on you."

Damian tutted, mumbling something about Grayson asking. Yet, when Jason got up to go fetch something to munch on Damian trailed along after him. Animals and all. He thought it was weird, up until he saw Damian looking behind him. When Jason figured it out, he slowed down, pushing the kid in front.

Jason sat Damian at the counter, digging out the ice cream and two spoons. He ignored Damian's complaints, setting the spoon down next to him anyway. It only took two spoons before Damian was picking at the chocolate.

"You wanna play a game? I think we have some board games upstairs. Or video games? What are you into again?" He hadn't really spent that much time with Damian other than the scant times they'd had together lately.

Damian shrugged. "You would not be interested."

He tried to remember what was in Damian's room. The kid liked swords, fighting, drama, both making it and reading it, and, "How about we paint."

"You can paint?" The scepticism was strong, as it should be.

"No, but I think it's fun. Especially finger painting. If I know Alfred, which I'm pretty sure I do, I know for a fact he still has some paints in the cupboard next to the second hallway from Dick's brief interest in it. The canvas should be in there as well, if you're up to it."

Damian deliberated a moment, but the fear of lying in bed, alone, must have been too strong since he agreed.

They dug out the paints all too easily, Jason's suspicions being right about Alfred. Old as the paints were, it wasn't like they were doing anything elaborate. Jason fetched some paper from Bruce's office, telling Damian they'd make a challenge of it, just so the kid would allow himself to have fun, and then they had at it. 

It worked, for a while too. He could see Damian losing himself in the fun task of dipping his fingers in the cheap paint. All too soon however, they both turned their heads to the ceiling.

"He's up," Damian murmured.

"He is." Jason didn't imagine the way Damian inched his way closer to the back door. "So, when you followed him," he didn't want to ask but he needed to know, "Did you see his eyes?"

"He was very aware. Even his speech."

"Wait," Jason tore his eyes away from the ceiling. "I thought he was awake when he spoke to you."

"At first," Damian agreed. "However... when I followed him the other night, I suspect he was asleep. He had been before."

"Where did he go?" 

"The same place he always does," Damian said. "The room just before the attic. I did not follow him inside." 

Jason didn't blame the kid, he wouldn't have followed Dick in either. "He hasn't gone anywhere else before, has he?" because to Jason, those footsteps didn't sound like they were going to the room before the attic.

Damian looked a little concerned too. "No."


	10. Chapter 10

Jason crowded Damian in front of the back door. If this turned sour, the kid should at least get a head start.

They listened to the creaks upstairs, it was the only way they could tell where he was going. They went past the gym, further still from his usual pattern, and continued on down the doors until they stopped. He pin pointed where in his mind when no further sound was made. 

"He has stopped. Perhaps he has fell back to sleep," Damian hoped.

"Maybe," Jason agreed, wishing a little himself that he believed the lie he was telling. "Okay Damian, this is what's going to happen. You're going to get Ace and call Jon, tell him you're having a sleep over."

"I am not running away," even if the weedy pitch to his voice suggested he wanted to.

"Of course you're not. It's a sleepover Damian, you're just hanging out. No running whatsoever."

"I am not leaving," Damian insisted. "Grayson is asleep. No matter my feelings on his subconscious I am safe here."

"Jay?" 

They both shut up, eyes flying to the ceiling. The creaks started again, moving further into Jason's room.

"Jay?" Called again, the tone changing a tad desperate.

Jason didn't answer back, but he knew without looking that Damian was not going to be budged now. Damian didn't suspect what he did, all he heard was his brother half asleep and scared. Freaked out or not Damian wasn't going to abandon Dick.

Sure enough, "Do you think he is hurt?" Damian asked, edging around Jason. "Perhaps he is awake."

Jason didn't think so, not when Dick called for him again. If Dick was hurt he would just sidle down to the cave for some bandages or pain killers. He was as bad as the rest of them for not dealing with injuries properly. There was no way Dick was seeking Jason out if he had a boo boo. He could have had a bad dream, that was always a plausible eexplanation. But, again, Dick didn't go to Jason when he was upset. That category was saved for angry conversations with Bruce or hugs galore from Tim. Damian and Jason just weren't the comforting type and when Dick needed it he knew where to really turn to.

"Jason please," rang out, the footsteps starting up again as they barrelled out of Jason's room. He was heading for the study, for the cave, which... huh.

"Damian, stay here," Jason ordered, grabbing Ace to put in Damian's arms for good measure.

He was careful going up, who was to say Dick really had walked away from his room after all. He looked past every corner before turning it, keeping his own footsteps light and to the furniture so he wouldn't give Dick too much warning.

All the while he moved he heard Dick calling for him, each time growing more and more desperate. He caught up with Dick just as he reached the study door. The whole thing made him pause.

Unlike last night, right now Dick was looking like a true sleepwalker. His body was on automatic, his eyes glazed over when Jason saw them. He was mumbling beneath his breath, nonesense words that always ended with another call for Jason.

Jason relaxed his stance, walking more easily over to Dick than he had before. This he could deal with. 

"Dickie," he cooed. "What are you doing out of bed?"

Dick didn't turn, just kept pawing at the study door.

Jason was careful as he took one of Dick's hands, knowing that sleepwalkers were still dangerous, and Dick probably lethal with the experience he had. He was gentle as he towed Dick around, starting the slow steps back down to his room. "Just a few doors down Dickie. We're almost there. You know you kind of almost scared the shit out us."

Dick went along pliantly, not having anything to comment on as Jason continued to half heartedly tell him off. Jason was beginning to think last night had just been a flux, maybe a side effect of the medication or even some higher brain function working where tonight it was absent. Maybe Dick's body really had tired itself out enough that not even his sleepwalking could be that productive anymore.

He had hoped so anyway up until they got to Jason's door. 

Something must have pinged in Dick's brain as he started struggling away from Jason. He let Dick go when one fist came too close for comfort. "Jason! Jay," he whined, stumbling towards the bed. "Jay. No. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He started sobbing, his mouth making the noises even as no tears fell. Dick's hands clenched in the sheets, ripping them up and off, and since half the blanket was already on the floor Jason could only assume this is what he had been doing before.

He let Dick have his moment of madness, the yells receding back into sobs and whines until Dick was hunched over on the empty bed. It pained him to see Dick like this. While Jason had never blamed Dick for what happened, Dick damn well blamed himself, and it wasn't easy seeing continued proof of that. He wondered if this is what Bruce felt when he came upon on of Jason's crime scenes. No anger, just defeat that there was nothing he could do or say that would help.

"I'm sorry," Dick moaned.

"Dick," he chanced sitting next to him, grabbing his hand again so they could keep going. "Come on. It's time for bed. We're going go-karting in the morning, you wanna be wide awake for that. Come on." 

He started tugging, only to find himself flat on his back, Dick's hands around his throat. The hold was easy to break, but Dick didn't let up on him, he came again and again, fists feet, teeth, all the while yelling, "Jay. Go. You gotta go. You gotta get out. Jay please. Stay away from him!"

He pushed Dick back again, getting bitten for his efforts. He used his thighs to twist Dick over, yanking his shoulder from Dick's mouth. He was just about to see if hitting him would knock him further out when Damian pinned Dick's upper body for him.

"I thought I told you to stay downstairs."

Damian just glared at him, his small body doing a surprisingly good job in keeping Dick's arms immobile. "You were taking too long. I was going to call father."

"Whatever, just keep him pinned."

It took more than a while for Dick to calm down. He was adamant in trying to break free, screaming all the while for the Jason in his head to go. By the time he did fall back into a deep sleep Jason was exhasted, and Damian looking no better. Jason didn't even want to chance Dick going for them again however, and had them stay another ten minutes longer.

Dick started snoring on the nine minute mark, and by the ten Jason let him be. He didn't even suggest they move Dick, just pulled the covers from the floor and draped them over Dick's body.

Bruce was the one to make his concerns aloud when he came home to Damian helping Jason clean his new bite. "You should have left him alone. You're lucky the worst you got was a bite."

"I know that's why I told the kid to stay downstairs."

"I was coming to get you father," Damian said, automatically getting on Bruce's good side. Little suck up. " I only intervened when I saw Todd almost suffocate from Grayson. I know you would have been distraught if Todd died again."

"I would," Bruce agreed, Jason not believing he was watching Damian get away with this. "But Damian, next time you just go straight to the cave. You've went up against Dick before. Asleep, he doesn't know to hold back." Damian nodded, Bruce sending him up with some cream he'd picked up for Damian's pox on the way back. With just the two of them in the cave whatever ease Bruce had left him. Jason could see he wanted to yell. To at least tell him to be more careful. But Bruce was awkward until his last breath.

Eventually it was Jason that broke the silence. "Think you can hold the end while I tie this off?" He asked holding up the end of the bandage he was about to tie.

Bruce took the bait, his big hands gentle as they held Jason still. "Are you okay?" 

"Fine," Jason said. "And to answer what you won't say to me yet, yes, I did know what I was doing. No, I didn't know Dick would bite me, and yes I should have called you."

Bruce clapped him on his good shoulder, "So long as we're on the same page."

He rolled his eyes at what was still being left unsaid. "Look, Kori sleepwalks, and I figured if I could get a floating, fire flinging alien princess back into bed then Dick would be no problem. Damian was worried he was gonna hurt himself, and considering he was trying to get into the cave when I found him I don't blame the kid."

"He was trying to get down here?" That piqued Bruce's interest. Enough for him to slacken his hold on the bandages to reach for one of his tablets. Jason surpressed a shudder when he saw which one. 

Until he realised why Bruce would be interested that was. "You've been following him."

"Everyone has a reason for why they do things. Well, most people," he amended, both of them probably thinking of a few who didn't. "Dick, is a creature of habit. Especially when he's upset."

"Do you know what's in that room?" The one next to the attic, the one Dick went to night after night.

"His old stuff. Alfred wanted me to put it in the attic when he started growing up but..." Dick was Bruce's first baby, Jason got it. "So I put it in there instead. I figured Dick might want it one day when he has his own kids, usually he just goes in when he's feeling upset. He's the only other person with a key so, I guess it makes him feel safe."

"It was unlocked though. Last night, he just opened it, no key needed." The uncanny precision he did it with straying into Jason's dreams that night. 

"That's because I unlocked it. After the first few nights I thought it best to just let him come and go as he pleased. Especially when he usually locked himself in afterwards. I had to confiscate his key this morning when he did it again last night." Dick had probably freaked finding himself locked in a room he had no memory getting into. It probably brought back hundreds of hostage memories. Jason knew it did for him.

"Why would he lock himself in?"

Bruce shrugged, leaving Jason entirely to bandage himself up as he thumbed through security footage. "What was he saying to you?"

"Er, just my name. He wanted to say he was sorry, also that the demon should get off me. I think he's still blaming himself." 

Bruce hummed walking off to the computer. Jason finished up his shoulder, saying goodbye to Bruce as he went to bed. Well, Dick's bed since his own had been taken. He didn't even care about the mess as he yawned his way inside. Stepping over the landmines, he curled himself up under Dick's covers, glad to find the only surprise he had the rest of the night was finding a stuffed elephant under one of the pillows.

He woke with an ache in his shoulder and a curse to the universe since as soon as he went downstairs Tim Drake greeted his vision. An early flight in from Japan meant that both he and Cass were home two days earlier than planned. 

Surprisingly Tim didn't look any happier than he did. "What, do you live here now? It's like you're never gone."

"First off, it's too early for your voice, and secondly, for your information I am living here now. Temporarily. Until Bruce lets me go at least so it's more like a hostage situation than anything."

That had Tim smiling. The little sadist loved it when someone other than him was in trouble. "What'd you do? Blow up the GCPD? Shoot Damian? Please tell me you didn't shoot the dog?"

A little squeal proved Tim wrong on the last two, both Damian and Ace tottering in, the latter almost hissing when he saw his newly arrived brother.

"What happened to your shoulder?" Cass asked, cutting her way between the scowling boys.

"Grayson bit him," Damian mumbled, heading for the dog bowls.

"Like in a kinky way?" Tim asked.

"Like in a shut up way," Jason scowled. Part of him wondered if he could get away saying it was kinky, otherwise Roy was never going to let him live this down.

"Grayson was sleepwalking and accosted Todd. Had I not intervened-"

"I would be dead, yes, we know Damian."

"I don't," Tim protested. "I go for a few days and come back to him living here, Dick attacking people in his sleep and Damian a freaking hero. What the hell happened."

"Damian just told you Tim," Jason deflected. "It's not my fault you weren't listening." He saw Damian smirking slightly out the corner of his eye, the both of them knowing if there was one thing they had in common it was annoying Tim.

"I was listening you-"

"Hey!" They turned to see Dick standing in the doorway, there was a smile smothered behind the pout he was wearing so he wasn't angry with them at least. "Honestly, I get one good night of sleep and wake up to you lot screaming down thw house. You couldn't have waited two mintes Tim?"

"They won't tell me what's going on," he whined.

"Well, maybe there's a reason for that. Now will you stop fighting with Jay and give me a hug. I've missed you. You too Cass."

Dick promptly smothered Tim and Cass, insiting to Jason they needed a good breakfast after all their travelling. He did as he was told, if only because he knew Dick would be in a pout all day when he realised what he'd done last night.

After breakfast Jason was planning on seeing what Bruce was up to, thinking that Dick had forgotten all about their supposed day together. It wasn't like they had actually said it was today, but Jason had hoped all the same. It would have been the only time they could fend Damian off to Bruce and not have to worry about doing the same to Tim. But, it was okay, he could wait.

Except, when he came out the shower Dick was on his bed, dressed in outside clothes and fingering one of the keys to Bruce's car. "Go-karting?" Dick asked.

"Go-karting," Jason grinned back.

They both got cleared from Bruce. Sure, Dick got another strip search, but since he didn't have a fever today Bruce let him go. Dick didn't even wait to put his shoes on before the two of them were yelling freedom and racing for the garage.

The track wasn't a long drive to get to, and truthfully Jason was too busy enjoying the air on his face to worry about filling the silence. It didn't matter at the track either since war was declared as soon as they stepped foot out.

It was a day of bliss, of just feeling the air whip his face as he tried to spin Dick off the track. He didn't even mind when he lost one race, too happy just enjoying himself for a change.

When they finished, they laughed their way over to a diner nearby, burgers, fries and milkshakes ordered in its fullness.

"God I can't remember the last time I laughed like that," Dick grinned, his hair still windswept from the races. 

"Me either. It was so good." The food wasn't bad either. He wouldn't boycott it from his patrol route at least. "Remember the last time we did this? You were trying to be nice to me because Bruce told you I didn't get the part in Guys and Dolls."

Dick hummed, "Vaguely. Is that the time that kids helmet came off onto the tracks? That might have been with Timmy."

"Wow," Jason huffed, "You really don't remember? We dressed up like gangsters and spent the whole day making puns. When you drove me back, we went to that Italian place on the South Side. The one I showed you because my mom brought me there."

Dick 'oh-ed,' "That day. Yeah, course I remember that day. You were so cute in your little suit. Although, you were a better driver. What, you go easy on me today or something?"

Jason shrugged, "Eh, I guess I was taking it easy. You busted up my shoulder last night pretty bad."

"What do you- Jay, did I hurt you?" He was out of the booth and on Jason's side in seconds, peeling Jason's collar away until he could pick at the bandages. "I bit you?"

"Don't worry, Damian cleaned it up."

Dick didn't look any less appeased, his fingers trailing over the split skin. "I can't believe I did that."

"I told you, it's fine." He yanked his collar up. "Doesn't even hurt. I just don't want it to split again, that's all."

"Yeah," Dick agreed. "Still," he leaned down, kissing over the spot on Jason's collar. Jason felt himself still, not exactly well versed in this kind of contact. It didn't last that long. Longer than it should have, but not long enough for him to be concerned about. When he was done, he nudged his nose against Jason's a quiet, "I'm sorry," slipping out.

"It's fine," Jason said again.

They finished up their food, Jason calling for extras to bring back to the manor. The drive back felt pretty much like they were going to the guillotine, Jason breathing in his last inches of fresh air. All too soon they were back at the manor handing off their doggy bads to the rest of them.

Tim monopolised Dick's attention the rest of the evening, leaving Jason free to relax and cuddle with Ace for a while. The puppy was getting bigger every week, Jason knew it was just a waiting game now for when they would hear his first bark, and once he had all his shots they could take him out. 

"I'm gonna take you to the park, and around Kori's 'cause I know she will love you. We can go exploring out back too. I bet you're gonna go wild when you see the land we own. It's freaking huge." He got a few weird looks from Damian for his tone, but Jason knew Damian spoke the same to Ace when he was alone with the puppy too. 

"You're a child Todd."

He stuck his tongue out at the kid. 

"Just for that Ace is sleeping with me tonight," Damian said, taking Ace away so they could sulk in his room.

Jason didn't mind too much, he had a bigger mission after all. He went down to the cave and put his gear on, managing to get fully suited up when Bruce came down to start on his own suit. Bruce didn't stop him, which was a good sign. In fact, just as he was about to grab a bike, Bruce cleared his throat, and in the most Bruce way possible asked if Jason wanted to patrol together.

"Can I drive?" Jason bargained.

"On the way back," Bruce compromised, which was a good incentive for Jason.

It was a surprisingly easy night. He knew Bruce was keeping him from the Narrows, but the scanner they had told them there was nothing big going down there tonight anyway. All too soon, Jason's good day was being made complete as he pumped the batmobile to the limit on the way back.

"Woo!" He laughed when they skidded to a halt. "Yes."

"I'm glad you had fun," Bruce said, a smile tinting the corners of his mouth.

They unpacked, wrote their reports and Bruce had the sense of mind to check on Jason's bite before he retreated to the computer banks to see if anything unusual happened at the manor while he was out. Jason took the more direct route. After showering in the cave, he walked the halls, none too subtly hoping Ace might have escaped Damian's clutches for a cuddle. He switched his light on, more than pleased to see a fluffy head barrel into his legs.

"There's my Acey." The puppy wasn't the only one there. Sitting in the middle of his bed, a knife in each hand were Tim and Damian. "What happened?"

Damian nodded to the door, Jason shutting it as told as he picked Ace up for a welcome back kiss. He took the long way to the bed, happy to note the knives weren't some half brained attempt to ambush and murder him when he came home.

They let him sidle up next to them, Ace making the rounds now he had more people to play with. This close, Jason could see this wasn't an ordinary sleepover. Damian was wired, his eyes fixed on the door as he sat almost protectively in front of Tim.

"Where's Cass?" Jason asked, hoping they had the sense to warn her about whatever madness just took place.

"She's taking care of Dick," Tim answered. 

There was something off about the kid. More than usual. His pale skin was positively translucent, the knife he had in hand slack in his grip as the rest of him was in pretty much the same state as Damian. He looked like he was ready for a fight he didn't want to happen.

"What'd he do?"

Tim answered again, some colour finally returning to his cheeks even if it was red. "Dick kind of ambushed me in my room. I don't think he knew what he was doing. He kept asking about you, about, things." No need to guess what kind of things. For a family who saw the dregs of Gotham sociey every day they sure were prudish. "And then he asked about stuff with me and then..."

"Then...?"

"I found Grayson trying to take Drakes underwear off. A sight no one should see might I add," Damian finished.

"Shut up," Tim snapped, colouring further.

"Was he aggressive or coercive?" Jason went on.

Tim's brow furrowed, "How do you mean?"

"Did he just yank them down or was he being gentle, talking to you, persuading you?"

Tim stuttered for a few moments before saying, " The first, I guess. But what does that have to do with anything. I think he was asleep, he probably wasn't aware he was even doing it to me."

"Probably," Jason said, if just to get the kid to calm down. "Is Dickie asleep then? Now I mean?"

Tim shrugged, checking his phone, "Cass said so about ten minutes ago but..."

What if he gets up and tries again? Jason finished. "Well, Bruce is back. So, if you guys wanna go."

"You're kicking us out?" Tim demanded.

"You wanna stay in here?" Jason countered, since he never thought the kid was so keen on cuddling him before. 

Tim huffed just as Damian, sly, manipulative Damian said, "If you allow me to stay Todd Ace will get to stay too."

"Damn you," he said, kicking Tim out the way so he could burrow with Ace under the covers. The puppy rolled around a few times, especially when Damian hopped in, the knife stowed just within reach. 

Tim took the longest to decide if he was staying, mostly because he probably thought he was unwelcome. Jason hated to admit it, but right now he was actually happy for the company even if it was Tim and Damian. 

Eventually, just as Jason was dropping off, and Tim knew he was vulnerable, the kid slipped in. He went a step further and burrowed himseld in Jason's side, his freezing feet shoving themselved under Jason's thighs. Jason, for his part, pretended he didn't feel them as he found that comfortable place in his head and went to sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

He handed Damian a note with his breakfast. For his part, Damian looked far too tired for a kid who had spent the last two nights banned from patrol. Jason wondered if he should start figuring out a way to barricade Damian's door, or, at least, get someone to stay with him. Jon maybe. 

Tim looked even worse, the circles under his eyes heavier than Jason had ever seen them. If he hadn't felt the kid kicking him awake every five minutes he would have thought Tim had spent the whole night awake. Well, Tim didn't spend the whole night awake but he did spend the majority of it. Jason didn't really blame him, if that had been him on the other side of Dick's fast hands he would have freaked out too. Really, that morning he thought the only one who looked well rested was Alfred. 

"Morning," Cass chimed as she took her seat next to Tim. Dick and Bruce followed, the two of them in some kind of blinking contest as they took sides on either side of the table. 

Nothing really came of it. Not until Bruce was almost finished eating that was. "Are you sure?" he asked, to which Dick promptly clattered his spoon down.

"Yes. I'm sure. Look, these tablets are helping. I know it might not be ideal but, if I go back to my apartment then who's to complain."

"You are not going back there," Bruce said, playing the dad card once again with living arrangements. "Dick, you know you're roaming the halls. At least here there's someone to catch you if you fall. Over there... no. Not until I know you've stopped."

"Then we're going to have to come up with a new arrangement." Dick peeked at Tim, "I don't want to hurt anyone else," he hissed, like all of them weren't listening into this conversation happening in front of them. 

"It's fine," Tim piped in. "Last night. Forget about it. I know it wasn't you Dick. Not really." Dick seemed to breathe a bit easier upon hearing that, flashing a grateful smile over at Tim. The kid on the other hand, instead of being satisfied that everything was okay between them, nudged his plate closer to Dick's a look very much Bruce's on his face as he started on his interrogation. He asked everything from what Dick was dreaming to what he'd eaten before he went to sleep. He asked about times he'd eaten, what he was thinking about, everything that made Dick's day tick, he asked about. 

Jason couldn't help tuning most of it out. Damian too from the looks of things. The only one who didn't was Bruce, who was looking just as interested as Tim about the answers. 

Jason cut breakfast short when it turned out Tim wasn't going to be stopping soon. Piling his plate in the sink with a little sticky note for Tim to get busy when he was done talking, he went in search for a good place to nap half the morning away. 

He was woken, later, by a fluffy snout nosing his cheek. Ace was awake and ready to play, and Jason couldn't really say no to those adorable eyes so he went in search of a few squeaky toys and a ball. Tim ended up joining him half way through his attempts to teach the puppy to play fetch. He claimed it was because he hadn't seen the dog since he left but Jason thought he was secretly still thinking this good behaviour Jason was showing was just an act. Traumatic experience with the Incubus or not, Jason was a dangerous being with more issues than half the inmates in Arkham, and no half thought out explanation of why Jason was staying was going to change Tim's mind about trusting him. Jason was actually kind of happy for it. Right now, Tim and Cass were the only ones not walking on eggshells around him. 

They played with Ace until Damian caught them. His spots had come into full bloom, and just looking at them made Jason itch. Tim, luckily, had already had chicken pox, so if Jason was hoping for a pox ridden seventeen year old he was sadly let down. But since Damian was still red, miserable and getting the beginnings of cabin fever he couldn't be too sad about it. 

"Do you think Jon could get chicken pox?" Jason mused, trying to keep Damian present for as long as possible. He didn't want to let Ace go just yet. 

"He's Kryptonian, they don't get human diseases," Tim answered.

"Yeah, but he's half," Jason countered.

"Kon doesn't," Tim pointed out.

Jason thought on that for a while. "Yeah, but isn't Kon like, genetically modified? Like his genes are more kryptonian than human? Jon's like half and half, split straight down the middle. I mean, he doesn't have his powers half the time, right Damian?"

Damian tutted, his pout deepening as he came further into the room. "Jon's powers do fluctuate depending on his mood. The alien hopes that they will settle when he reaches puberty."

"See," Jason said. "So, if he's human half the time then he should be susceptible to human diseases. Kon came out pretty much like already baked so his powers were probably already settled by the time you guys grabbed him."

"So?" Tim asked. "What? You want us to tell Clark he should watch out for chicken pox."

"And flu and tummy aches and food poisoning," Jason finished. "But, mainly chicken pox. I mean, really, the wise thing to do would be to infect Jon."

"He could die," Tim near screeched. Jason could see Tim was accepting he'd been right about Jason being dangerous just from his widening stance. Kid actually thought Jason was going to rush him. Not a bad idea all things and boredom concerned. 

"Or, he could deal with it like any other kid his age. Point stands that if this powers thing doesn't settle when the puberning happens he's going to have a hard time doing any hero work. I mean, imagine it, 'Superman save us,' he comes whooshing in and has to stop because one of the kids has chicken pox."

While Tim was growing steadily more worked up, Damian looked to really be considering what Jason was saying. Enough that he excused himself from the room to make a phone call to a probably very confused Clark Kent. 

"You're awful, you know that," Tim said.

"Relax," Jason sighed. "I was just making a point. It's not my fault you brainiacs here didn't consider this before."

Tim kept an extra long watch over him the rest of the day for that comment. He followed Jason everywhere, like his own little shadow. Only, you know, snarky and moody like all teenagers were. He had comments for everything Jason did, scrutinising it for any double play before just trying to annoy Jason into telling him why he was really at the manor. Eventually, Jason used Tim's need to follow him to his advantage. Well, Alfred's advantage. He started on a few rooms, dusting, vaccuming, until Tim got so high and mighty with his criticisms that he told the kid to show him what he was doing wrong if he knew so much. Hence, when Alfred came to try and do some manual labour that afternoon he was pleasantly surprised to find Tim furiously dusting the old furniture.

"You're welcome," Jason said.

 In the evening, when Jason had managed to track Damian down to see if the kid wanted to help make some soup, he got his note back. There was nothing added onto it, or even hidden in his own words. But the note itself was answer enough. 

The two of them ended up planning a much more elaborate dinner than soup when Damian started complaining he wanted something with more substance. Since Tim had been warded off with Damian's presence, Jason told him to have at it in the kitchen and busied himself with merely checking Damian's work as he started on desert. 

Dinner, like breakfast, was mostly a quiet affair. With the whole family back, talk was limited to Tim's time in Japan and Cass interjecting every now and then to tell the real version of what happened when they were over there. It was, dare Jason say, nice, actually, mostly because they weren't sitting around wondering what to say to each other. Even when Tim started grilling Jason again he preferred it over the silence that had been their meals these past three days. He gave as good as he got to Tim, almost sparking world war three when Damian started in on the action too. He almost expected Dick to get involved, ever the peace maker, but Dick just sat there with a smile on his face instead, leaving the clean up to Bruce who, too, was enjoying having the whole family back under one roof. 

After they finished, Jason delegated clean up to the others, since they hadn't had to make it, and stole Dick away before anyone else could think to do so. He hid them away in Jason's room, fishing out his laptop for a good movie to watch. Dick almost beamed as he finished setting up, the only thing stopping him was the thought that if he did Jason might throw him out. He honestly wondered where this family got that idea that he hated fun. Happiness even. It was like no one was allowed to smile around him or he'd kick off. Yes, he hated being left out, and he hated when they purposefully ignored him, but when they were together, he didn't mind a little fun. Hell, it was him and Dick that had invented rooftop tag when they were younger. GPS hide and seek too. 

Jason fell back against his cushions, the laptop on the table in front of them. He felt Dick do the same, especially when he realised it was one of his old favourites. "How did you remember?" Dick grinned.

Jason shrugged, "I just did," trying to get the handle on the storyline, since the effects in this thing were awful.

About half way through, Jason gave up. He knew Dick liked it for the colours more than anything, it was just one of those movies that were so aesthetically pleasing they didn't have to have a good plot or effects to be good. 

He sat up after a while, finding Dick not that bothered about the movie either. He picked at his shirt for a few minutes, working up the courage before saying, "You know I used to have a crush on you."

Dick perked up, all thoughts of the movie in front of them forgotten. "Seriously?"

Well, he wasn't creeped out. If anything he was still a little shocked. "Yeah. I mean, everyone does at some point. It's kind of like a right of passage."

"First I ever heard of it," Dick huffed, still not mad, maybe amused. It was hard to tell past the wide eyes.

"Just ask Tim, I think he's still in that phase. Damian's about to breach I think. He's definitely heading that way."

A little laugh escaped Dick. "Wow. Wow!" Dick laughed again, "Seriously?"

"You know it's not that funny to the rest of us," Jason said, sure as hell his face was heating up.

Dick still giggled a little, trying to hide it behind his hand. "I know. I'm sorry. It's just not what I thought we would be talking about when you dragged me up here." Dick let out another few chuckles, his throat not seeming to be able to stop. When he finally got a handle on it, all thoughts that Dick thought the idea of people liking him funny flew out the window. He was serious now, the surprise sunk in enough that he was able to treat Jason as he should. "So, why did you tell me? I mean, if it was years ago then why does it matter now."

Jason cleared his throat, sitting a bit straighter again. "Well, maybe I kinda still do have a crush on you."

"Oh." Again, no disgust, and this time no laughing. All in all the best reaction Jason could have hoped for. "You do?"

"You're a hard guy to fall out of love with Dick."

"You- oh." 

Jason went on, feeling like all of fifteen years old again as he said, "It's just, I know you don't feel the same. I know, okay, always have. And I don't mind. It's just, I think I'm ready to move past it. And I know the only way I can move past it is if I tell you. So, there."

They sat there for a while, the movie still playing as Dick just looked at Jason, and Jason looked anywhere but at Dick. Eventually, "You love me?"

"Yeah," and it was easy to admit it now he'd said his peace. "As in, more than a brother, if you were having trouble figuring it out."

"Me?" Dick clarified.

"You."

"Even when I'm messed up?" Dick asked. He didn't have to clarify what he meant by messed up. The bite on Jason's shoulder, the fact both of them were being haunted by memories they wanted long forgotten hanging over their shoulders even now.

"You're not messed up," Jason told him. "If anything, you're reacting exactly as you should for a guy in your place."

"Tim would disagree." Which, point.

"Yeah well, you can't help what your mind does when it's asleep." Jason knew he couldn't. "Besides, you do that while you're awake Tim would probably cum from excitement. It's just because he was a bit freaked that he reacted so badly."

Dick huffed, but looked a little consoled from Jason's words anyway. "I can't believe you like me."

"Well, believe it. Now," he motioned back to the movie, settling back into his seat.

Dick did too, for a while. After a few minutes however, Jason noticed the small shuffles Dick made. Just before the end, Dick was leaned snugly against his side, his head dipping until it could brush against Jason's shoulder.

"Is it good?" Dick asked quietly. "With a guy? Is it good?"

He didn't really have that much experience himself, not voluntary anyway. He shrugged, Dick's head moving with him. "I guess. I mean, I liked it. Why?"

Dick hummed shuffling a little closer again, his hand lightly tracing over Jason's thigh. "Dunno. I guess, I mean, I've never, with a guy and..."

"What? You want to take advantage of the opportunity while it's here?" He felt his skin tingling as he spoke. Even the idea that this could happen for real was getting him excited. 

"Is that such a bad thing? I mean, it's not like I haven't thought about it before. I have. But, lately, ever since, you know, I just can't help wondering what it would be like. Whether it was different or-"

"Dick, it's fine." 

"I'm not going to push you. I know that I haven't exactly felt amorous lately either. But, maybe you could think about it? Just, know that if you asked I wouldn't push you away and that, you shouldn't be afraid to tell me something, even if you think I won't like it. Never know, I might surprise you Jay."

He couldn't concentrate on the rest of the movie after that. There wasn't long left, but it was long enough for Jason to grow restless just sitting there with Dick warm on his shoulder. He shifted more times than he would have liked, and when the movie finally finished he was the first to hop up, shifting his slacks around as he did.

Dick stretched, smiling gently over at Jason. "This was fun. I really do like spending time with you Jay."

He smiled back. "You know how I feel about it."

"Yeah." Dick dithered on the spot before approaching slowly. 

Jason knew what was going to happen. He knew and he wanted it, badly. He ended up meeting Dick half way, taking a kiss, a real kiss, he'd wanted since he was fifteen. Dick responded in kind, just as desperate as he nipped expertly at Jason's lip.

"You wanna?" He asked, leading none too subtly to the bed.

Dick grabbed him before he made it to the edge, all hesitance gone as he kissed Jason again. "You sure?" Dick asked, a heat igniting in his eyes. His grip turned strong as he held Jason in place, his fingers clenching in the waistband of Jason's sweats.

"You really asking that?"

He yanked Dick's sweats down, underwear missing, which Jason couldn't help marvel at. He ran his hands along Dick's thighs, the skin less scarred here than the rest of his body. Dick returned the favour, the two of them wrapping themselves around each other.

He fell back, not staying on his back for long as he twisted Dick in the sheets until he could get his arms over his head. Dick moaned, his hips lifting, brushing against Jason's ass. He couldn't help sitting down a little, chasing that feeling s little longer before getting his head back in the game.

"Didn't think you would take charge," Dick sighed, flexing his hands against Jason's grip. 

"Well," he huffed as another thrust from Dick nearly had him lossening his grip. "I figured this situation called for it."

"My inexperience," Dick guessed.

"Yeah," Jason sighed, tightening his hands. "Also because of who you are."

"Huh?" Dick asked, too distracted with the friction to really pay attention.

Jason bounced, putting weight into his lower body to stop Dick moving much. With the attention back on Jason's face he asked, "So, how long have you been possessing Dick for?"

Dick stilled, a dark look passing over his face. "Jay-"

"Don't deny it," he warned, using the last vestiges of Dick's cover to hop off the bed and grab his slacks. "I admit, you did a good job of blending in. But, in another life you are Dick so I guess it was pretty easy for you. Hell, I was convinced for a while too."

"Jason what are you going on about? The demon's gone. It's me. It's Dick. Look," he bared his neck, the scar stretching across Dick's throat still there.

"And I would have believed that. But, see, I thought about it, and to me, you gave up far too easily. You could have reached Dick without having to walk over to him. So why the pretence? Then it hit me. Dramatics. Dick in any world is a drama queen so why would you be any different? You made that whole show up, let yourself be captured and used the trap to your advantage. You made it look like the last thing you wanted was to merge, when, that was all you wanted. At least when you realised you couldn't survive here otherwise."

"Jason, you're talking nonesense. It's me, I swear." There were tears at the corners of Dick's eyes, ready to fall at a moments notice.

Jason paid them no mind. "So you merged," Jason went on, his voice raising above Dick's pleas to listen. "And you pretended to be him. Or maybe it was him. But at some point, you took over, and Dick was pushed to the back. Dick was a walking consciousness only able to come out when you went to sleep." He felt certain with every word he spoke, his inklings all seeming more believable now he finally put words to them. "You know, for a moment, I actually thought you were the mind behind the midnight walks. I mean, the talks with Damian, with Tim. But then I thought on it. It wasn't you trying to creep Damian out, it was Dick. He was worried, he didn't know what was going on, who was safe, what you'd made Damian do when he wasn't awake to see it. He tried to lock you away in a room only he and Bruce had the key too." 

It made sense. Dick would have been able to listen to the thoughts at the back of his head. In his confusion he probably would have said something bad to Damian. But Dick wawasn't stupid, he could put two and two together as easily as the rest of them. If it wasn't for Bruce, Dick probably could have gotten away with locking himself up through the day. 

"So the tablets, were they actually to help you sleep? Or were they to stop Dick from roaming the halls calling for help. Warding me off?" He huffed just as another piece of the puzzle fell into place. "Oh you ass. You sent that video didn't you? I bet the other me had them too. You didn't like having me far away and you could pick from Dick's brain a way to get me to come here, to you. Dick knows Bruce has a limit, he knows what'll push him over the edge. You chose that video,the one from the exact apartment I was staying in, because you knew Bruce would tear Gotham apart to get me out." 

Dick kept up the act, shaking his head frantically as he pleaded again with Jason to listen.

"And Tim. Dick wasn't trying to do anything to him. I bet he was sick of listening to your sadistic thoughts and needed to check Tim was alright. I asked you know, whether you were aggressive or persuasive. The demon never forced me, not if he could manipulate me, and I know you could manipulate Tim if you tried. You were frantic, yanking, wrestling him down because he didn't have time to talk. You gave him a brief window and he did his best to stop you in it."

"You're wrong. Jay just stop, you know you're wrong. I'm me!"

"Then prove it," Jason challenged. "Get off the bed."

The bed where, earlier today, he'd had Damian tell Bruce to draw a demon trap. One they knew would contain it.


	12. Chapter 12

Dick's face hardened, his legs swinging over the sides of the mattress. "Fine," he said, standing, his toes brushing against the painted edge of Bruce's trap. He took a step, his foot grazing the outside before his whole body fell back, a sick wretching sound coming from his mouth.

"I knew it," Jason whispered, his feet moving until he was racing down the halls to Bruce's study. The whole family was inside, Constantine with them looking over the more illicit books Bruce kept hidden in here. "It's the demon."

There was silence, resignation slipping over Bruce's face as Constantine took over. "You did good kid," Constantine praised, clapping Jason briefly on the shoulder as he went to inspect their demon.

"Did he say anything?" Bruce asked. 

"No. He was trying to pretend for as long as he could. I got out of there before he could start on anything." Even now Jason didn't really have any real answers to his questions. Everything he had said he thought was true, but since Dick had been denying until his last breath they were still merely speculations on what had been going on. Hell, for all Jason knew that back there really had been Dick in control, and the two of them had alternating days to themselves. Or, he could have been wrong and that really was the demon on a night. Ace hadn't exactly growled at Dick through the day before. Not like he had at night.

Bruce called his name, bringing him out of his worries. "You did well Jay," Bruce said, the others nodding like he'd brought home a straight A report card instead of a demon.

"Yeah well," he brushed off, "it's not like it's the first time I've whored myself out."

Everyone but Tim and Cass flinched, the memory of the video Dick, freaking Dick, had sent still too fresh to be easily forgotten.

"I can't believe it worked," Tim said.

Jason huffed, "I'll have you know I'm actually very charming when I want to be. Enough to seduce a demon too." He stuck his tongue out for good measure, Tim scowling back like Jason was an annoying child he couldn't get rid of.

"What I meant was that he gave in a bit easily didn't he? Who's to say this isn't another trap?" Which, was a fair point now Jason thought about it.

But, "No, he didn't have a clue." He dropped the teasing, figuring Tim would probably appreciate the seriousness in this situation. "Look, for some reason he wants me. Now this thing is a demon, I highly doubt in the other timeline he's even had to propose a date to get someone he wanted. It's like being with a virgin, you can tell them basically anything about dating rules and nine out of ten times they'll believe you. So, when I batted my eyelashes at him he probably wasn't even worrying about being found out, we thought the demon was gone after all." Truthfully, Jason thought the demon had been so excited with the prospect of having him again that even if they did know about it being around it still would have jumped Jason's bones. It had been celibate for a good, what, three, four months now? Any sex was welcome at this stage. "Besides," Jason tacked on when Tim still didn't look eased, "Even if it did know, what does it matter? It's trapped and being dealt with."

"I guess."

They stayed in the study for a while, Constantine's orders Bruce said. He wanted them all in one place where they couldn't stick their noses in while he did his assessment. Since that was all he was doing right now. Possessions were different from hauntings, firstly because there was a living host. Constantine couldn't do anything to the demon without extreme care or else he could hurt Dick. Real Dick, and Bruce would definitely go spare if something happened to his precious Dickiebird.

The second difference between hauntings and possessions were thar, generally, everything could be banished the same way if it was a haunting. But since it wasn't, Constantine needed to know what he was dealing with. Really dealing with, not just a vague term they'd come to know the demon as last time.

The third difference was mainly concern over Dick again. After all, this thing was an Incubus, if it hadn't been feeding outside of the body it was probably getting it from within. That meant that separation would have to be even more delicate. They didn't know how much the demon had taken. Whether, if seperated, Dick would survive.

All of that Bruce explained to him as they waited, and all of it had Bruce clenching up more and more until he purposefully stopped himself. Bruce was worried. He was beyond worried. He'd been tricked for a second time by this thing and if it wasn't for Jason they probably would still be in the dark.

"How did you figure it out anyway?" Tim asked. "I mean, out of character behaviour is normal for a guy going through something like Dick."

"It is," Jason agreed. "I don't know." He thought on it for a bit. "I guess when we went go-karting, that was when things started clicking." The sleepwalking had stayed with him all day, the fever Dick had too. "I asked him while we were at the diner whether he remembered taking me go-karting when I was a kid. He couldn't remember. Then I asked him if he remembered dressing up like gangsters for the day while we did it and he said yes."

"I thought we did that," Bruce said.

"We did," Jason said. 

Tim rolled his eyes, "You trapped him in a false memory. How dumb is this thing?"

"Look, it worked. I honestly didn't think it would but the thing must have been desperate to get on my good side. And like I said, I don't think he did much interacting with his victims in the other timeline."

"Careful," Tim smirked, "You're starting to sound like you're defending it."

"Tim," Bruce barked, silencing the kid for good.

Jason would have been glad for the interference had he not seen the fear etched into every crevice of Tim's face. Snark helped Tim cope, logic and belittling the enemy too. If Jason couldn't recognise them for Robin's traits he wouldn't have been a very good detective. He supposed it was only right for a kid who spent so long in the suit to start deferring to a more heroic personality when reality was getting too much. Jason used to do the same when he was a kid too.

With Tim silenced there wasn't much to say. Bruce tried every now and then. He wanted to get everyone but himself and Constantine away, but Tim and Damian shut him down every time he tried. They'd missed out on round one, they wanted to make sure they were here for round two probably in the hopes their presence would make round three an impossibility.

"I might be useful," Tim argued, Cass backing him up by threatening to get Barbara involved if he even thought of suggesting it again. Jason couldn't help think that unless Constantine needed virgin blood for some reason, Tim should take his ticket out and never look back.

Constantine eventually made his way back to the study. From one glance Jason knew it wasn't good. 

"What's the situation?" Bruce asked, and for once not like an interrogation. 

"Good news or bad news first?"

"Good," Bruce chose, since they all knew the bad news wouldn't simply be one point.

"Well," Constantine started, "I'm pretty certain we can get the demon out of your son."

"Pretty certain?" Since that hadn't been a definite I can or can't. 

"Which is where we go into the bad news." Constantine came further into the room, wisely choosing Alfred to keep near. If things turned violent Constantine would get a two second head start while Alfred got his crutches he wouldn't get from the rest of them. "I have no idea who we're dealing with."

That sunk in for all of them before Tim asked, "Do you need to?"

"Yes." Which is how Constantine went into the exorcism itself. In order to remove a demon he had to know their name, it was a power thing, a way to summon as well as banish. "Since your boy is possessed by a demon from the other timeline, I have no idea who it is. They could have a completely different list of names."

"And it's not like Dick's going to be telling you his name," Jason guessed.

"Well, I wouldn't say that. He said you knew it Jason."

"Me?" He didn't think he'd heard Dick tell him his name. His demon name anyway. "Isn't it just Richard? I mean, different timeline but same guy right?"

Constantine shrugged, "If you're sure."

"Well, what else would it be." Unless that bastard didn't mean he told Jason. He told Father Todd. 

Sometimes he wondered just what had went down in that other world between them. As of now, Jason wondered how on earth he was going to get to Father Todd to make sure Dick's name was Richard, and not something completely pretentious. 

Constantine went on to explain the other bad news. That even without his name Dick was a higher demon than first anticipated. He said he would have to make some calls to the other exorcists he knew, just so they could banish the demon properly and not let it roam loose like it had here. Also, that they would likely have to call a doctor in.

"That thing's been feeding," Constantine said, Bruce turning pale at the very thought. "He should be okay, but he'll need to be checked over. Doctors are always a must at an exorcism anyway, but I know you'll want someone you trust."

They talked statistics and names way into the night. By the time Bruce was sending people to bed, three more phone calls had been made and two more people expected to be at the manor that morning. 

Damian refused to go back to his room, throwing a full on tantrum, screeching included until Bruce gave up and carried Damian to his own room instead. Tim and Cass weren't far behind, Alfred hinting Jason to go too as he offered to show Constantine to his own room.

"I'll show him," Jason said. "You just get some sleep Alfie."

Alfred narrowd his eyes, but that was all he did as he went to his own room on the other side of the manor. Jason knew which guest room to put Constantine in, it was the one most of the Leaguers stayed in when Bruce let them. It wasn't that far from the study, Bruce wanting to keep them close in case something drastic happened.

"So, what's the real reason you want a heart to heart?" Constantine asked, the two of them not even out of Bruce's study yet.

"When Dick said he'd told me, I think he told other me. I just, don't want something to go wrong." If the demon stayed with Dick because Jason had stupidly just assumed something, there was no way anyone in this family would forgive him. 

"What do you think I can do about it?"

Jason shrugged, "Some magic, or whatever. Just so I can be sure."

Constantine nodded, "Right. Well, I hate to tell you this but I don't have a spell to help you seek out your other self. I don't think there is one in existence. But, I do know a handy memory spell. We give it a whirl, hope for the best and pray if it doesn't that your hunch is right."

The spell didn't require anything too unusual. A bit of blood, a brief word of Latin and Jason was delving back into memories he'd never thought he'd had. The time Bruce had bought him his first bike. The fact Jason didn't know how to ride one, tried to be secretive about it and Bruce ended up finding out anyway. The week after where Bruce and him spent it falling off their bikes, Bruce getting Jason comfortable enough to ride on his own. The memory where Alfred taught him how to stitch up a knife wound on his own. For emergencies only he'd said, but that had been helpful more than once over the years. The time he and his mom had counted the pennies in her purse to see if they had enough for a cupcake.

Memories that were of his life and not his other one. When the room blurred back into view, Jason could only say, "I'm sorry," knowing they would have to go by chance now.

Constantine was good about it, waving Jason off. "It was a longshot anyway. Besides, demons lie. It's possible he was just trying to mess with us."

He showed Constantine to his room, retreating to Bruce's with a heavy mind. Tim was the only one still awake when Jason got there. Bruce was missing, probably minding Dick, which meant it was up to Jasont to take Tim's tablet away, telling the kid there was nothing they could have done earlier. That it wasn't his fault because he knew a kid like Tim would be taking this to heart. He prided himself on his mind, on his ability to see patterns and come to conclusions.

"I should have known," Tim said.

He didn't push Jason away when he dragged him to the pillow. "Look, none of us knew okay. Not even Bruce. This, it doesn't happen to us. We deal with insane people, not magic. It's not your fault."

Tim still didn't sleep well. 

Jason expected the empty bed when he woke. When he went looking he found his family along with two other people in Jason's room. Dick was in the middle of them all, pouting at the ceiling. Yet, when Jason stepped over the threshold, his gaze turned from the ceiling to him. 

Leslie was easy to recognise, Jason needing no introduction. But the other guy, or body since apparently it was Deadman Jason was speaking too, well, he needed an introduction there. Apparently the guy was here to try and push the demon out if things got bad enough.

Disturbing.

Constantine was in a flurry. He was everywhere, setting things up for the exorcism. He painted on Jason's walls, pulled things from jars and bags he got from somewhere. Most of all, he moved Jason. He seemed especially interested in the way Dick was ignoring the interrogation Bruce was trying to conduct in order to stare at Jason.

Bruce was almost murderous. If it wasn't Dick, or if manhandling the demon wouldn't jeopardise the mission Jason was sure he would have been bashing Dick around for a rag doll for information.

Constantine nudged him again, a pointed look at Dick having Jason stepping forward. He took up one of Bruce's questions, asking himself, "You may as well tell us now what you wanted. You're not getting out of here."

Dick sat up, his interest finally piqued. "What I wanted?"

"Why you did this," Jason changed, "Why the long con? Did you think I wouldn't notice eventually? What were you planning on doing in Dick?"

The demon scoffed, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me," Jason challenged.

"Fine," Dick leaned forward, "I wanted to survive." He looked around at everyone else, noting the disbelief written there. "What? Too tame for you? You wanted world domination? Or an army of the damned? Sorry to disappoint."

"I thought you hated the idea of being human?"

Dick shrugged, "My options were limited. Besides, it's not like I'm human anyway." There was a hint of, Jason could have sworn, bitterness in there. 

Constantine flicked something at Dick that had him scrambling for the headboard. "Well, that's your fault. Whatever you did when you merged stopped you from conforming."

"I know." Here Dick smirked, "But, it's not like I can complain, this is actually perfect." He leant in close again, "See, before I would have been lost to other me. But now, when you exorcise me, I'm free to roam as I please as a seperate entity. You're never getting rid of me Jason."

Bruce nearly carried him out after that, the brats following until they were all locked out. The door was to remain shut no matter what. Under no circumstances were they allowed to interfere or risk Dick's life as forfeit. They all listened.

They took up camp in the hallway, Jason fetching something from the kitchen for them to graze on. The room remained silent for hours. Long enough that Damian fetched his sketchbook. Tim got his tablet after another half hour, him Jason and Cass having an angry birds tournament.

Alfred came for them at four, trying to move them somewhere else. Any other time of the day they would have went. However, about two minutes beforehand, the screaming started. It wasn't just Dick, and when it was Dick he sounded pissed more than anything else.

 It piqued at half past the screams being accompanied by crashes, Bruce howling like he'd been shot. Then it stopped. Just silence that was even worse than the screaming. 

Nothing happened for an hour. Two. It started to get dark. Cass dropped off, curled into Tim. Alfred lost control of Ace at some point, the puppy whining at Jason's door before looking for attention from the rest of them.

They were there all night, Jason falling asleep at some point. He was woken when a breeze rushed past him. His cheek tingled, like someone trailed their fingers over it.

He knew, then, that it was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the end of part 2. I've left it here for a reason, mainly because I'm super excited about starting part 3. But, for the most part this is where it needs to end right now, so, if you're done with this series, I respect that. If not and are willing to wait for your closure, I hope you like what's in store.


End file.
